


For the Empire

by AliyahOfAhksenfreh



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars: Rebels
Genre: Angst and Tragedy, Cadets, Coruscant, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Eventual Romance, F/M, Friends to Lovers, Gen, Harassment, Hazing, Horny Teenagers, Imperial Officers (Star Wars), Parent Death, Royal Imperial Academy, Teen Angst
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-05-03
Updated: 2018-08-06
Packaged: 2018-10-27 03:27:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 31,289
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10800717
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AliyahOfAhksenfreh/pseuds/AliyahOfAhksenfreh
Summary: Seylah Eltanin has had only one dream: to attend the Royal Imperial Academy on Coruscant and follow in her uncle's footsteps as a Naval Officer in command of a ship. Now that she's made it to the Academy, she quickly discovers that the next three years are going to be some of the hardest of her life. But with the help of her friends, including a Senior Cadet named Kallus who eventually takes a shine to her, she's determined to make it, for the Empire.(Ongoing work, ratings to subject to change.)





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Originally this was just going to be bad fanfic, giving me an outlet to smut an OC with Thrawn. BUT THEN, y'know, character development and then Kallus stuck his nose in, and then what Imperial Cadet wouldn't have a group of friends? Also because the glimpse of the Academy from an outsider's experience we get in the novel _Thrawn_ got me thinking about just how stuck up and terrible people on Coruscant can be.
> 
> Thrawn won't appear for a while, and Kallus is basically just a cameo to start. (He'll crop up more later, I promise.) Because Seylah and her pals took on lives of their own. Whoops. But this thing is going up through _Rebels_ , and possibly _Inferno Squad_ if my brain has its way. So... tuck in, it's gonna be a long ride.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Seylah Eltanin arrives from Wild Space to start at the Royal Imperial Academy on Coruscant, and quickly learns she's a fish out of water.

Seylah took a deep breath as she walked down the transport’s ramp, rucksack held tightly over her shoulder. She barely noticed the other passengers bumping into her, trying to her push her out of their way as she stopped on the walkway, mesmerized by the sight of Coruscant laid out before her. She’d seen the holos, of course – towering buildings and buzzing traffic lanes, bustling crowds hurrying from one important appointment to the other. But it was nothing like standing in the middle of it all.

With a grin, she finally moved on, locating the nearest protocol droid for directions to the shuttle that would take her to her final destination: the Royal Imperial Academy. She’d seen the campus out of the transport’s viewport as they made their descent, unable to suppress a giddy smile – and a nauseating anxiety. After a year and a half of hard work and diligent study, she was finally here, where she had dreamed she could one day be. Actually being here terrified her, as much as it excited her.

Ducking through the hatch, Seylah was dismayed to see that the shuttle was nearly full. Tucking a loose lock of her auburn hair behind her ear, she pressed on, locating an empty seat next to the bulkhead that separated the passenger cabin from the pilots. Relieved, she dropped into her, swinging her rucksack around to hold in her lap only to watch in horror as its momentum carried it into the face of the uniformed senior cadet seated on her left.

“I am _so_ sorry,” she apologized quickly as she shoved the bag down between her legs, her Wild Space accent hanging thick on each syllable. The senior cadet frowned, give her a short glare of disapproval.

“Keep on like that, plebe, and you’ll be headed back to whatever backwater world you came from before the week is up.” His voice was barely louder than a whisper, but his Coruscanti accent sharpened his tone enough to make her wince in embarrassment.

After that, Seylah stayed quiet, her amber eyes glued to the floor of the shuttle, trying to press herself as close to the bulkhead as possible so she didn’t get in anyone else’s way. The ride to the Academy was mercifully short, even after she waited until the shuttle had mostly emptied to leave her seat. The senior cadet gave her one last withering look when they reached the bottom of the ramp, before striding purposefully off toward the turbolifts. Adjusting her hold on the rucksack, Seylah joined the growing queue of newly arrived cadets reporting for their barrack assignments.

“Name?” an Academy administrator yawned as Seylah finally reached the front of the line.

“Seylah Eltanin,” she answered.

“Eltanin… Eltanin… Ah.” The administrator handed her a datacard. “Report to Barracks A221.”

Seylah took the datacard, and was quickly pushed out of the way by the next cadet. Relieved that the card showed not only her location, but the location of her barrack assignment, she wound her way through the campus until she finally found her assignment, using the card to unlock the door. The room was small, with four bunks built into two of the walls, all of which had already been claimed, save for the top bunk directly across the room from the door.

“Should have gotten here sooner,” one of her bunkmates teased as Seylah tossed her rucksack up onto the mattress before climbing up the short ladder.

“Well, I had a bit of a ways to travel,” Seylah explained as she reached the bunk, letting her legs dangle over the edge as she sat on the edge of it. One of her other bunkmates sat up with a derisive laugh.

“Ooh, sounds like we got us a _wild_ one,” he sneered, until a pillow caught him in the face from the bunk below.

“Like you’re one to talk, Besso,” the occupant of the other top bunk said, her Coruscanti accent distinctly posh. “You’re from the Outer Rim.”

“Still not as far as Wild Space,” Besso grumbled, throwing the pillow back.

“What’s your name?” the Coruscanti asked politely.

“Seylah Eltanin.”

“That’s so pretty.” Seylah wasn’t sure if the compliment was genuine or dismissive. “I’m Arina Vosov, that’s –” Arina pointed to the empty bunk below Seylah “– Luwa Harkin. And of course, the charming Besso Poltak.”

“So, where you from, Wildy?” Besso asked, making no attempt to hide his disdain. Seylah hadn’t expected the planetary pecking order to be this severe; after all, she’d had to work much harder to gain admittance, and had expected that she would be afforded some level of respect for that.

“Lysatra, originally,” Seylah said. “But my parents ran freighters, so I’ve been all over. And you?”

“He’s from Tatooine,” came a deep voice from the doorway – Luwa Harkin, she presumed, returning from the refresher based on the towel wrapped around his waist. “Not that he’ll ever admit it.”

Besso just grumbled under his breath again. Meanwhile, Seylah couldn’t help but laugh.

“You’re from Tatooine, and you’re giving _me_ grief? At least Lysatra’s main crop isn’t _water_.”

That got a round of laughs from Luwa and Arina, which helped her to relax.

“Lysatra, huh?” Luwa asked as he changed into his uniform. “That’s practically the edge of space. Why not go to one of the Outer Rim Academies instead?”

“My uncle was an Admiral in the Clone Wars,” Seylah told him, giving a small shrug. “I want to be just like him.”

“Well then, you’d better get a move on,” he replied. “We’re to report to the parade ground in an hour.”

***

After a quick shower, Arina had helped Seylah pin her hair back in a tight bun at the base of her skull. Dressed in their new uniforms, the four of them made their way together to the parade grounds, chatting amiably as they joined the throng of other cadets headed the same way. Seylah had already started to focus in on Arina’s accent, making mental notes about vowel sounds and consonant stresses; she’d shown a knack for picking up accents and language when she traveled with her parents, a fact they leveraged when it helped them close a deal. She was so focused on trying to pick up the Coruscanti’s speech patterns that she didn’t notice the crowd had stopped moving, jammed up in a bottle neck, until she had walked right into the back of the tall cadet in front of her.

Her face fell when he looked back over her shoulder, his eyes narrowing in annoyance. It was the senior cadet from the shuttle. Seylah swallowed hard, trying her best not to look shaken.

“Still uncoordinated, are we, plebe?” the senior cadet said, his tone thoroughly dismissive. “I can hear the shuttle engines warming up even now.”

“Sorry,” Seylah mumbled, shifting her gaze back to Arina.

“Don’t you know who that is?” Arina whispered, pulling Seylah a little closer as they waited their turn to be seated.

Seylah shook her head. “No, but I hit him in the face with my bag earlier. I don’t think he was too happy about that.”

Arina sighed. “That’s Cadet Kallus. He’s first in his class, and one of Instructor Yularen’s favorites.”

“How do you know all that?” Seylah asked.

“Well connected family,” Arina said as they took their seats, high up in the stands reserved for the newest recruits at the back of the grounds. Seylah wasn’t sure if Arina meant hers or Kallus’, but decided not to press the issue for the moment.

She looked out in awe of the sea of uniforms, thousands of new and returning cadets covering the grounds as they prepared for a new year of working toward a commission in the Imperial Navy. Massive screens had been set up on either side of the stage so that those on the edges could better see the podium and array of officers and instructors seated behind it. As the last of the recruits filed in, a tall, tired looking man stepped up to the podium and began to speak.

“Welcome, cadets, to the Royal Imperial Academy. I am Commandant Deenlark, and I am here to ensure that only the best candidates graduate in service to the Empire. Many of you are the best. Many of you are not. Your time here will not be easy, but it will be worthwhile.”

“Some speech,” Besso muttered under his breath.

“To our senior cadets, I remind you not to rest on your laurels as you still have far to go. To our fresh arrivals, I wish you the best of luck: less than half of you will hear me give this speech again.”

A worried murmur rippled through the new cadets, although so far from the podium, Seylah doubted that Deenlark could hear it – and even if he could, she doubted that he cared. He droned on for several minutes, in what sounded like a speech he’d memorized simply from repetition, before consulting a datapad in front of him that held updates on instructors and programs. She watched as many in the crowd began to lose interest, their eyes wandering around the parade grounds just as hers did, taking in the sight of so many cadets and wondering how many would make it to the end.

Suddenly, the screens flickered, a shadowed and hooded figure looming large over them. Immediately, everyone stood from their seats at rapt attention as they recognized the figure: Emperor Palpatine.

“Welcome, my New Imperials,” the Emperor boomed. “You are the best this galaxy has to offer. Do not fail me, and you will be hailed as champions of the Empire.”

The image flickered out with a fanfare, returning to the live image of the stage as the crowd cheered as one, “Glory to the Empire!” Seylah felt a swell of pride in her chest as her voice joined with those around her. Whatever happened after this moment, she knew that she would always remember the moment when it hadn’t mattered where she’d come from, what she looked like, how she spoke. All that mattered was that she was a loyal citizen, a New Imperial, and she would do whatever it took to make her Emperor proud.    

“Cadets, dismissed,” Commandant Deenlark proclaimed, and the gathering immediately began to break up as the cadets filed out in a river of dark gray. Seylah and her bunkmates fell into the slow-moving queue out of the stands.

“So who do you think will be the first to go?” Besso wondered aloud, earning him several despondent glowers from the cadets around them and an elbow to the ribs from Arina.

“My money’s on you, Besso,” Luwa chuckled. “Assuming that big mouth of yours doesn’t get you killed first.”

“Come on, you heard the Commandant,” Besso protested. “ _Less than half_. That means only _one_ of us is going to make it, and I plan on it being me.”

“Do you now?” Arina raised an eyebrow. “And just what makes you so sure that it’ll be you?”

“I made it here from the Outer Rim, didn’t I?” he said proudly. “Handpicked by the governor himself.”

“So was Seylah,” Arina pointed out, smiling a little as Besso’s chest deflated.

“Really, it was just a holomessage telling me I’d been accepted,” Seylah told them matter-of-factly. “I’m pretty sure he was reading from a script.”

Arina and Luwa chuckled softly as Besso glowered. “Still had to approve it,” he mumbled as they shuffled along.

“What about you, Luwa?” Seylah asked. “Where are you from?”

“Lantillies,” he replied. “In the Mid Rim.”

“There’s what, two Academies closer than Coruscant?” Arina asked. “Why come all the way here?”

Luwa shrugged, sharing a knowing look with Seylah. “I wanted to prove I could be the best. This is the place to do it.”

Seylah gave him a soft nod in acknowledgment. In the short time they’d been together, she felt she’d already gained a good measure of her bunkmates. Besso would complain a lot, and likely be the first of them to wash out. Arina was kind, although Seylah couldn’t help but suspect that underlying it was some attempt at manipulation; she was definitely one to keep an eye on. Luwa so far had been the easiest to get along with, and was most likely to become a friend and ally if she needed it.

Still, she could have done worse for companions. As she scanned the cadets around them, she saw more than one visibly shaken by the possibility of failure, and somewhere behind her could hear attempts to console a weeping cadet. She could already tell the next few weeks would be a bloodbath, weeding out the weakest of them before too much time was wasted. All she had to do was survive.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The cadets of Bunk A221 have started to bond over their shared terror of failing. Tempers flare as competition intensifies after initial rankings are published for the new recruits. Seylah discovers that coming from Wild Space may be more of a handicap than she realized, but not in the way she expected. Kallus gets inadvertently drawn into the whole mess.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah, okay, it's a little Mary Sue-ish in this chapter. BUT WHATEVER. There's fallout, it's all good. Besides, it was fun to write Kallus as kind of an ass, but an ass with a heart of gold.

The shuttles had been going strong for over a week. Every day, there was a queue of despondent former cadets lined up, waiting to be shuttled back to the main spaceport. The remaining cadets in the new class were on pins and needles as they anxiously awaited their first official rankings, having managed to at least make it through the first two-week long barrage of courses in basic combat, high level mathematics, piloting, and core world culture.

Seylah was careful to keep her expectations moderate, hoping to at least place in the top fifty percent. It seemed reasonable, given how many cadets there were, even with the initial bloodletting. She wondered how much worse it would get after the rankings came out as she walked back to her bunk after classes had concluded for the day.

She keyed the door open to reveal her bunkmates all hunched over Arina’s datapad. At the sound of the door, they spun around to look at her, shocked. Seylah’s stomach dropped.

“Oh no, was I _that_ bad?” she asked, the door sliding shut behind her. Arina handed the datapad over in silence, letting her scroll through the results in stunned disbelief.

“Wait, this can’t be right. I’m _first_?”

“You’ll have a target on your back now,” Luwa told her.

“Yeah, let’s see how long you can keep it up with everyone else gunning for you,” Besso muttered, retreating to his bunk.

“We all made it through the first round,” Arina reminded them, taking back the datapad. “That’s what matters.”

Besso scoffed loudly from his bunk. “Yeah, maybe they’ll go easy on us now,” he said, his voice heavy with sarcasm.

“Stars forbid you actually _study_ this time,” Arina shot back, her face settling into a scowl as she climbed up to her bunk. Besso sat up sharply, swearing loudly as he forgot about the low clearance.

“Studied harder than you!” he shouted, glaring at Arina. “Some of us don’t have rich daddies to pull strings for us –”

“How _dare_ you –”

“ _Hey_.” Luwa’s voice silenced the argument in an instant. “We all worked hard to get here, and we’ll all work hard to stay here. Got it?”

Seylah was the first to nod in agreement. Arina crossed her arms over chest in a huff, but finally nodded her assent.

“Yeah, yeah, whatever,” Besso grumbled, turning back to his bunk.

“Besso, go see the medic,” Luwa sighed. “You’re bleeding pretty bad.”

Besso’s hand flew up to his hairline, going white at the sight of how much blood came away smeared across his fingers. Without another word, he stumbled out of the room and down the corridor. Seylah finally moved further into the room, opening her locker to change into her gray exercise clothes.

“Where are you off to?” Luwa asked.

“You said it yourself,” Seylah replied, pulling the gray tank over her head. “We’ll have to work hard to stay here.”

“Yeah, but I didn’t mean… Don’t you want to celebrate?”

“It’s been two weeks. Those rankings will change a thousand times before we graduate.”

“Still –”

“I’ll catch up with you guys at dinner.” Seylah closed her locker with a satisfied smile. “Unless you want to come with me?”

Luwa exchanged a glance with Arina, who gave a heavy sigh.

“Fine,” Arina said. “Just let me change.”

Seylah looked expectantly at Luwa, who gave a soft laugh that crinkled the corners of his eyes.

“I think I should make sure Besso got to the medic, and isn’t passed out in a turbolift. But if he’s still alive, I’ll try to catch up.”

“Excuses, excuses,” Seylah sighed, tut-tutting playfully as she shook her head in mock disappointment. A little searching had told her that Luwa had been a champion grav-ball player back on Lantilles who everyone expect to go pro. Living with him the past two weeks had shown her that he was certainly in the best shape of any of them.

Arina finished pulling her blonde hair back into a ponytail, and gave Seylah a nod. The three of them left the room together, Seylah and Arina turning right, Luwa turning left in the hopes of catching up to Besso.

“Seriously, how did you do it?” Arina asked as they waited for the turbolift. “I studied just as much as you did, and I’m just barely in the third quartile.”

“I honestly don’t know,” Seylah told her. “I mean, some of it I guess I had a head start on – piloting and Core cultures –”

“I _grew up_ in a Core culture, and I did miserably on the exam!” Arina’s shoulders sagged in defeat.

“That’s just it – what did you focus on most when you were studying?”

“Combat and piloting. Oh, and math.”

“Because you thought you already knew all there was to know about Core worlds. But that’s where you get into trouble – there’s more to the Core than just Coruscant. You have to give it all equal time, even if you think you know it.”

There was a chime as the lift arrived, the doors opening to reveal a half-empty car. But before they could step in, one of the cadets had already pushed the button to close the doors again.

“Sorry, this one’s full,” the cadet told them coldly, as the doors closed.

Arina sighed. “And so it begins.”

“I really wish they wouldn’t put our pictures up with the rankings,” Seylah said. “It makes it a lot harder to stay inconspicuous.”

“Maybe it’s on purpose. You know, to see if you can still survive when everyone’s made you a target.”

Seylah couldn’t help but laugh a little. “Come on, the Empire isn’t _that_ cruel. I’m sure it’s just for the instructors’ benefit. There’s so many of us, how else are they supposed to learn who we are?”

The turbolift bank chimed again, and they were again denied entry to a supposedly full car. Seylah’s brow furrowed as she gave Arina an apologetic look.

“You’ll probably have better luck without me,” she sighed. “I can walk.”

“Are you sure?” Arina asked.

“Yeah, I’ll be fine,” Seylah assured her, starting down the corridor toward the flight of stairs that led up to the mat rooms. “Look on the bright side – it’ll give you an edge in sparring. Maybe this time you’ll finally take me down.”

***

Arina was waiting by the time Seylah made up the three flights of stairs, having been able to catch the turbolift that had come immediately after her bunkmate’s departure. She’d felt somewhat guilty as she’d stepped inside, greeting the other cadets with a small nod; she liked the girl from Wild Space, and couldn’t fault her for doing well in her courses. At the same time, there _was_ a pecking order, and to have it upset by some no-name upstart from beyond the Outer Rim was an insult to the established families of Coruscant, of which her family had long been counted.

Still, she vowed to herself that she’d stand up to the next person who bullied Seylah. The goal of the Academy was to form them into a cohesive force, that none other in the galaxy could break. They’d never achieve that if they continued picking at each other.

“See, I told you you’d get an edge,” Seylah huffed as she approached, flushed from her climb.

“And to think you placed _first_ ,” Arina teased, turning into stride as they walked down the corridor to look for an open room.

“They didn’t test us on going up stairs!” Seylah laughed. “And have you _seen_ how high the ceilings are around here?”

They reached the end of the corridor without finding a single available room to train in, and decided to claim a nearby bench while they waited for one to clear out. Seylah was careful to keep her back to the main hallway, hoping to avoid any further attention from their fellow cadets who passed by. She and Arina made idle chit-chat, having run out of anything truly substantial for the moment, until they heard one of the doors open and jumped up to claim the room before anyone else could.

Seylah regretted her enthusiasm immediately when she saw the two young men exiting the room, recognizing one as the senior cadet she kept running into when she first arrived. Noticing her sudden hesitation, Arina grinned and grabbed her by the arm, dragging her over as she waved to get the senior cadet’s attention.

“Cadet Kallus!” Arina called, pleased to see he and his companion had stopped and turned to face them. Seylah’s face flushed all over again.

“Well, well, Miss Vosov,” Kallus said with a smile as they approached. “I beg your pardon – _Cadet_ Vosov. Your parents must be very proud.”

His eyes narrowed as his gaze fell on Seylah, who tried her best not to make eye contact. “And _you_. I imagine _your_ parents are happy you made to civilization, even if only for a few weeks.”

Seylah’s cheeks burned, her fists balling up as she opened her mouth to speak, but Arina cut her off before she had the chance.

“Allow me to present Cadet Seylah Eltanin,” Arina said quickly, laying on the courteous culture she and Kallus had both been raised in, “presently ranked first in our class.”

There was a slight twitch in Kallus’ face, his eyes hardening. The cadet next to him stepped in, extending a friendly hand to Seylah.

“Jovan,” he said lightly, introducing himself. “Congratulations, Cadet Eltanin. I’m sure your whole cohort’s already plotting your demise. Maybe not just _your_ cohort.” He gave Kallus a pointed look.

“An impressive achievement,” Kallus added dryly. “Just pray you can keep it up.”

“I’ll certainly try my hardest to,” Seylah assured him, with just a hint of a smirk as she relaxed a little. Clearly, her ranking had managed to get under his skin.

“We’ll leave you to your practice,” Jovan told them, giving a subtle tug at Kallus’ elbow to get him moving again. “Wonderful to make your acquaintances, cadets.”

Seylah and Arina watched them go, stepping into the mat room after the older cadets had vanished into the main corridor’s traffic flow.

“I think I’m going to hate that Kallus boy,” Seylah grumbled, giving one last glaring look in the direction he’d gone.

“Well, you _did_ hit him in the face the first time you met him,” Arina laughed, taking up one side of the mat to stretch.

“By accident!” Seylah sighed, sinking down into a low stretch of her own. She’d tried to make everything right with Kallus in her few brief interactions – not that she felt she’d committed any great wrong against him in the first place. But whatever she’d done, accident or no, had ruffled his feathers in that infuriating way Core Worlders had, taking any slight against them as the gravest offense.

“I’m sure he’ll come around eventually,” Arina assured her. “He’s probably just under a lot of pressure, like everyone else.”

“At least you’re not a pompous ass,” Seylah said, relieved that despite coming from a powerful Coruscant family, her bunkmate had proved to be relatively normal.

“Not _yet_ , at least,” Arina replied with a wink, taking up her ready stance. “Just wait until my standings improve.”

Seylah grinned, pushing herself back up to her feet so she could take up her stance opposite Arina. “Then I guess I’ll just have to remind you of your place.”

***

By the time Seylah and Arina had finished their sparring session, the foot traffic in the Academy had slowed down for the evening, making it much easier to find an empty turbolift to take. As they made their way down the corridor back to their bunk, Arina could see Luwa standing outside the door with a towel and bucket. He caught her eye as they approached, giving her a warning glance toward Seylah and a shake of his head.

“You know, I’m actually kind of hungry,” Arina announced, loud enough that Luwa would hear them. “Let’s go get something to eat.”

“You go on ahead,” Seylah said, continuing on. “I’m not that hungry.”

Luwa shot Arina a panicked look as he tried to hide the towel and bucket, standing to block as much of the door as he could. Arina tried her hardest to be nonchalant as she grabbed Seylah’s arm to try and pull her back to the turbolift.

“You _have_ to be hungry!” Arina insisted.

Seylah held her ground, letting the blonde pull on her until she gave up. “What’s going on?” she asked slowly, shifting her glance from Arina to Luwa.

“Oh, you know, Besso,” Luwa said, his glance flying up to the ceiling as Seylah slowly closed the distance between them, Arina trailing behind. “He bled _all_ over the place…”

“Luwa.” For the first time since she’d arrived, Seylah’s shy, friendly demeanor faded away to reveal the intensely serious young woman below. Luwa swallowed, beginning to see how she’d managed to achieve such success so early.

“Yeah,” he sighed, stepping out of the way to reveal the defaced door behind him, his head hanging in shame. His attempts to wash it away had done little more than blur the edges, but the graffiti was still legible.

Go home, xeno.

Arina gasped, her hands flying up to cover her mouth in shock. Seylah just stood there, staring at the words in silence, unmoving except her fists which started to clench and unclench.

“It was there when Besso and I got back,” Luwa told her. “I was trying to get it cleaned up before you saw it, but…”

Arina cleared her throat, reaching out to lay a gentle hand on Seylah’s shoulder. “Maybe it was meant for Besso!” she suggested, forcing her voice to carry a light, amused tone.

“We should report it to the Commandant,” Luwa said. “Hopefully he can nip this in the bud –”

“No.” Seylah closed her eyes and let out a heavy sigh. “I’ll take care of this.”

Arina and Luwa exchanged a worried look as Seylah turned back down the corridor, turning right when she reached the end instead of proceeding straight to the turbolift bank.

“Uh… she does know the administrative offices are in the other direction, doesn’t she?” Luwa asked suspiciously.

“The only thing in that direction is –” Arina’s eyes went wide, her stomach dropping at the realization. “The senior cadet barracks. Oh no.”

She started down the corridor at a jog, a confused Luwa following close behind.

“Want to tell me what this is all about?”

“Kallus,” Arina told him as they rounded the corner, anxiety rising as she realized Seylah must have taken off at full speed once she was out of their sight, because she was nowhere to be seen.

“What’s a Kallus?”

“A senior cadet, I’ve known him since I was a child. Seylah had some run-ins with him at the start, and then when he found out she’d placed first…”

She picked up her pace, Luwa at her side as they finally reached the bank of turbolifts that would take them to the barracks level for the senior cadets.

“You don’t think she’d do something _that_ stupid, do you?” Luwa asked as they waited for the lift.

“Wouldn’t you?” Arina asked.

“Yeah,” he sighed. “Yeah, I probably would.”

***

Kallus had been absorbed in his readings for the next day’s class when there’d been a chime at the door. Expecting it to be Jovan, he was surprised to find the red haired young cadet from earlier standing outside his room.

“Why, if it isn’t Cadet Eltan–”

Before he could finish her name, Seylah had shoved him hard back into the room, stepping inside before the door closed. Her amber eyes had narrowed as she scowled, bearing down on Kallus, who’d fallen backward over his chair.

“‘ _Go home, xeno_ ’? Is that really the best you can do?” she demanded, bending down to grab him by the collar and pin him against the floor.

“I don’t – ” Kallus tried to protest, but she used his collar to raise his head up and slam it down into the floor.

“You know I’m a human, right? You know I have just as much right to be here as you do? Maybe more, because I actually _worked_ to get here!”

“What are you –”

“What kind of coward graffitis a door? If you have a problem with me, just tell me!”

With a low growl, Kallus finally managed to break Seylah’s grip on him and flipped their positions, now pinning her to the floor. She tried squirm her way out, but he had size and training on her. She settled for glaring furiously at him.

“Cadet Eltanin, I assure you that I have _no_ idea what you are talking about. Now,” he heaved a tired sigh, “if I let you up, do you promise to behave?”

Seylah glared, tried to fight against him again, then gave up and nodded.

“Good.” He let go of her and stood, offering a hand to help her off the floor. She stood on her own, keeping as much distance between them as was possible.

“What exactly is it you think I did?” he asked, righting his chair to take a seat in it again.

“My door,” Seylah told him. “Someone defaced it.”

“And you think it was me.”

Seylah nodded.

“And why would I do something like that?”

“Because you hate me, and I think you’re jealous of me.”

Kallus bristled a little, but kept his voice calm. “And why would I be jealous of a fresh recruit like you?”

The door opened then, Luwa and Arina bursting into the room with a concerned looking administrator behind them. Kallus turned around in his chair to see them.

“Can I help you?” he asked.

“I… we… we thought…” Arina sighed and shook her head, the scene in front of her not nearly as confrontational as she had expected.

“I appreciate your concern, Cadet Vosov,” he replied calmly. “Your friend here simply got the wrong idea in her head.”

Luwa crossed the room to grab Seylah by the arm, pulling her back toward the door. She went with a scowl, her feet dragging the whole way. Just as they stepped through the door, Kallus stood, his gaze softer now as it locked onto Seylah’s.

“Cadet Eltanin, I promise: I would _never_ say something so offensive. You’re just as deserving as any of us to be here.”

Seylah’s scowl vanished, her head hanging as her shoulders sagged.

“You three go back to your room,” the administrator told them sharply, shooing them down the corridor as he stepped back into Kallus’ room.

“What were you thinking?” Arina whispered as they walked back to the turbolift. “They could kick you out for this!”

“I just thought…” Seylah sighed, her voice wavering. “I don’t know. It seems so stupid now.”

“That’s because it _was_ ,” Luwa told her.

“I know.” She sighed again as they waited for the lift. “Do you really think they’ll kick me out?”

“Either that, or they’ll assign you to sanitation duty on an Outer Rim transport for the rest of your life.” Luwa chuckled, and Seylah found herself laughing along.

“It’d still be better than living with Besso,” she snickered.

Arina gave a snort, which only made them laugh harder. By the time they got back to their room, Seylah felt as though a weight had been lifted, even with the slur painted across her door. Whatever happened next, at least she knew she had friends who cared enough to try and stop her from making the worst mistake of her young life.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Seylah learns to deal with the fallout from her fight with Kallus, but finds an unexpected ally.

A week had almost passed since Seylah’s incident with Kallus. A maintenance team had removed the graffiti from their bunkroom door, an effort that had required a heavy industrial solvent and repainting. Commandant Deenlark had issued a stern reprimand to the general population regarding expectations of conduct, but had otherwise remained silent. Arina, Besso, and Luwa had all returned to their normal patterns, but Seylah remained on edge, waiting for the other shoe to drop.

It came after her last class of the week, when she stepped out of the room to find an administrator waiting for her.

“Cadet Eltanin, follow me,” he said sternly, and she followed along, leaving behind the subdued snickers of her classmates. They walked in silence, until they reached the corridor outside the Commandant’s office.

“Wait here,” he instructed, and stepped inside, leaving her alone. She sighed, holding her datapad to her chest.

 _You knew it was just a matter of time, Seylah,_ she told herself. _If you’d just waited instead of rushing to conclusions, you wouldn’t be here. Stupid, stupid, stupid._

She looked up at the sound of footsteps, her dismay growing when she saw the all too familiar face of Cadet Kallus approaching. The look on his face told her that he was just as surprised to be there as she was, but the way he settled into a resigned grimace seemed to be a signal that whatever was coming next would not end well, most likely for her.

The administrator stepped back into the hallway, waving them toward the door.

“Cadet Kallus, Cadet Eltanin, come in,” Deenlark ordered from inside.

Kallus gave her a small nod, letting her go first. Squaring her shoulders, Seylah tried to quell her nerves as she stepped into the office, coming to attention in front of Deenlark’s desk alongside Kallus.

“At ease,” Deenlark muttered, setting down his datapad. Neither one relaxed much.

“Cadet Eltanin, you’re very smart. First in your class, accepted from Wild Space. You’ve clearly worked hard to get to where you are. So tell me: why jeopardize it all to assault a senior cadet?”

“Sir, I –”

“Sir, if I may,” Kallus interjected. “Cadet Eltanin has been persistently antagonized by many of the cadets here, and I am ashamed to say that I was one of them. In fact, I likely had the _most_ antagonistic relationship with her, which made me a logical suspect for defacing her bunkroom door. I don’t blame her for her reaction.”

“Perhaps not.” Deenlark’s eyes narrowed. “But unless I’m very much mistaken, Cadet Kallus, _you_ are not the Commandant here.”

Kallus paused a moment before giving a deferential nod. “No, sir.”

“Good.” Deenlark shifted his attention back to Seylah. “Now, Cadet _Eltanin_ , I’ll repeat my question: why jeopardize your successes to date by assaulting a senior cadet?”

“I was tired of being teased, sir,” Seylah said. “I was tired of being looked down on and belittled. I regret my behavior, sir, and I swear it won’t happen again.”

“And your bunkmates? Cadets…” Deenlark referred to his datapad. “Vosov and Harkin.”

“They had nothing to do with this, sir,” Seylah told him quickly. “Except for trying to stop me once they figured out what I was up to.”

“And you don’t resent them for that? After all, if they’d stayed loyal and kept their mouths shut, you wouldn’t be here.”

“They did the right thing. Their loyalty is to the Empire, not to me. I would never consider asking them to betray that.”

Deenlark leaned back in his chair, steepling his fingers against his chin in contemplation. “And you, Cadet Kallus? Do you begrudge Cadet Eltanin her attack?”

“No, sir,” Kallus said. “It was a mistake, but one I’m certain she has learned from.”

Seylah caught his eye in a sideways glance, giving him a nod of surprised appreciation.

“Very well, then.” Deenlark sat up again, clearing his throat. “Cadet Eltanin, you will be on probation until the end of the term. One more incident, and you will be permanently dismissed from the Academy.”

Seylah swallowed. “Yes, sir.”

“Dismissed.”

With short bows, Kallus and Seylah left the office behind, once again finding themselves alone in the corridor.

“Thank you,” Seylah told Kallus with a relieved smile. “You could have thrown me under the speeder in there, but –”

“I could have,” Kallus told her, “but I would have regretted it for the rest of my life. There’s a lot you can offer the Empire, and I would be remiss in my duties if I stood in the way of that.”

“I appreciate that,” Seylah said, offering her hand. “And I really _am_ sorry I hit you with my bag on the shuttle.”

Kallus gave her hand a firm shake, smiling warmly. “I think I have more to apologize for than you. Let’s consider this a fresh start. Cadet Eltanin, it’s a pleasure to meet you.”

“Likewise, Senior Cadet Kallus.” Seylah smiled, as they made their way back down the corridor to the turbolift. “Any advice for a new recruit?”

“Keep your guard up,” he told her. “Don’t give anyone an opening – that includes the way you talk.”

Seylah grimaced. “It’s kind of a dead giveaway I don’t belong, isn’t it.”

“Almost as bad as being an alien, at least in the eyes of certain individuals.”

“So, I should let someone else claim the top rankings, so I don’t stand out.”

“Not in the least,” Kallus assured her as the turbolift arrived. “Just give them one less thing to hate you for.”

***

Seylah returned to her room to find her bunkmates waiting nervously. Even Besso sat up expectantly when the door opened, his face twisted in anxiety. Arina looked ready to give her a sympathetic hug. Only Luwa didn’t look like he’d been planning her farewell party.

“Well?” he asked.

“I’m on probabtion for the rest of the term,” Seylah told them. “But they’re not kicking me out yet.”

Arina squealed, throwing her arms around Seylah in relief. “Kallus didn’t press charges?” she asked.

“He actually defended me,” Seylah told her, still a bit puzzled by the whole thing. But maybe Arina was right; he was under as much stress as anyone, and finally realized taking it out on her wasn’t helping anyone.

“See, I told you he wasn’t that bad,” Arina said with a smile. “What did he say?”

“Well, he told me I should lose the accent,” Seylah replied.

“ _Thank you_ ,” Besso muttered under his breath, having gone back to reading in his bunk.

“Hey, it’s not _that_ bad,” Seylah said defensively.

“Only because you’re not listening to it.”

Seylah grabbed the nearest, softest thing she could find – which happened to be Besso’s uniform jacket – and chucked it at his head.

“Hey, watch it!” He ducked with a yelp. “I’m still recuperating over here!”

Arina rolled her eyes, climbing back up to her bunk. “Only you could give yourself a concussion getting out of bed.”

“It’s not my fault they made these bunks for tiny people like you,” he grumbled.

Seylah chuckled softly to herself and headed to the ladder up to her own bunk. Luwa gave her a quick hug on the way.

“I’m glad you’ll be around still,” he told her.

“Me too,” she replied. “Call me crazy, but I think I’d really miss you guys.”

“You’re crazy,” Luwa told her with a smirk as he slipped into his own bunk and picked up his datapad.

She just smiled and settled in as the room fell quiet, each of them buried in their notes and texts, reviewing what they’d learned that day and trying to read ahead for the next. It was never ending, but as she sat in her bunk with her knees tucked to her chest, listening to soft sounds of her friends, Seylah felt at home for the first time since she’d arrived.

***

Whispers still followed Seylah, even after coming out largely unscathed from her meeting with Kallus and Commandant Deenlark. But the experience had been a rallying point, and she walked down the corridors of the Academy with a newfound confidence, knowing she was on the right path. She practiced her Coruscanti accent with Arina every night after they were done studying, and slowly started to phase it in, her Wild Space accent growing a little fainter every week.

She carried herself a little taller, and was careful to remain impassive at every slight thrown her way, at least in the face of her tormenters. At night, she usually curled up tight around her pillow, careful to keep her anxious sobs as silent as possible. Luwa and Besso remained oblivious, but she couldn’t hide it from Arina, who could tell in the mornings from her bunkmate’s puffy eyes that she’d been crying.

Part of Arina was glad to see Seylah suffer so much for success, but it was a bitter part, the privileged Coruscanti part of her that she so desperately wanted to escape. With Seylah’s help, she raised her rankings over the course of the term until she was in the top third of their class, but the occasional message from her parents made it clear that it still wasn’t satisfactory.

“I don’t know what else to do,” she sighed in frustration, as she and Seylah walked across the empty parade grounds after their classes had finished for the day. “Nothing I do seems good enough for them.”

“I know the feeling,” Seylah said softly, and Arina laughed.

“Yeah, right,” the blonde scoffed. “You’re top of the class, how could your parents be disappointed?”

“They didn’t want this for me,” Seylah confessed. “They wanted me to stay on the ship, inherit the family business. The Clone Wars killed my uncle, and I think they’re afraid the same thing might happen to me.”

“They know we’re not at war anymore, right?” Arina asked.

Seylah shrugged. “The Empire still has a long way to go before it’s truly at peace. Pirate attacks are ramping up in the outer territories, and that far away from the Core Worlds, people aren’t afraid to complain and disparage the Emperor.”

Arina looked appalled at the thought. No one dared whisper a word against the Empire, let alone the Emperor, even those who had lost power and stature when the Republic had fallen. Her father had lost many associates who had spoken out in the early days, only to vanish without a trace. Rumors had started to circulate around the Academy that there was even a special division being established to investigate traitors and the budding insurgent movements starting to form in the Outer Rim. Arina had every intention of making it into that division, to help cement her families place as good, honorable Imperial citizens.

“Well, I think your parents ought to be proud of your dedication,” Arina finally said.

“Yours too,” Seylah answered. “No offense, but they must be stupid if they think you’re not doing well enough.”

“None taken,” Arina laughed as they reached the turbolift bank. “I think they’re being stupid, too.”

A lift arrived shortly after they did and, to Seylah’s relief, it was empty. They stepped on, selecting their floor, and as it stopped on subsequent floors found themselves pushed further and further to the back. When the car arrived at their floor, a stream of cadets poured out to return to their bunks, Arina included. But Seylah found herself barred by two large cadets who had managed to pin her to the back of car; she vaguely recognized one of them from her piloting class, and figured the other had to be his friend.

The lift doors shut as it descended to its next destination. With a sigh, Seylah waited patiently for the doors to open again, and tried to push her way past the two other cadets, only to find that once more, they were unmovable. Effectively trapped, she crossed her arms over her chest and decided to just wait for them to get off wherever they were going, a scowl narrowing her eyes. But the two cadets didn’t move until, after a very long descent, the lift arrived at its bottommost level. With a sigh of relief, she expected her two captors to depart, leaving her free to return to her original floor.

Instead, she felt two strong pairs of hands grab her arms and toss her out the open doors, leaving her scrambling to get back to her feet as she watched the lift doors close in front of her, the two cadets cackling to themselves. The indicator on the lift showed it rising rapidly and, to her dismay, she discovered that while the floors above were served by a bank of turbolifts, this level was only accessible by the one that was now fifteen levels above her and still ascending.

Looking around with a sigh, she realized that she had no idea where she was. Some sub-sub-sub level of the Academy, she reasoned, given the dark and damp that sent a chill down her spine. Her arms wrapped around herself to keep some of the cool air at bay as she pressed the call button for the turbolift and watched the indicator continue to go up. Leaning against the doors, she looked at the intricate maze of pipes that stretched out in front of her, trying to pass the time by following their paths until they vanished into the distance. She wondered what they were for, or if they were even being used anymore, since it was eerily quiet. Life on her parents’ freighter had gotten her used to engine rooms bustling and humming along as they carried coolants and water and air and waste and any of the other half dozen things that kept them alive as they hurtled through the vacuum.

She didn’t know how much time had passed before the turbolift chimed to announce its arrival, but by the time she finally returned to her bunk, Arina looked like she was going to wear a hole in the floor. Luwa and Besso seemed to be doing their best at ignoring her, although they both looked up from their datapads when the door opened.

“There you are!” Arina exclaimed in relief as Seylah entered the room. “Where were you?”

“I’m not really sure,” Seylah said, stripping off her uniform jacket to hang it in her locker. “I got tossed out at the lowest level the lift could reach. Looked like old abandoned maintenance.”

“Whattaya mean, tossed out?” Besso asked, perking up from his seat at the nearby table.

“Two guys, bigger than you,” she told him with a shrug. “They blocked me in until we reached the bottom, then they threw me out of the lift. It took forever to get back up.”

“Sounds like Mathisis and Lorkai,” Luwa said.

Besso sniffed, going back to his datapad. “I heard they did it to some other cadet a couple weeks back. Scared the kid so bad he had to be sedated for his shuttle ride home.”

“They probably thought they could do the same to you,” Arina said, her brow furrowed. “You should report it to the Commandant.”

Seylah waved her off, falling into the chair across from Besso. “It’s gonna take a lot more than a bunch of pipes and a long ride in the turbolift to scare me. I’m not worried. Besides, the Commandant already issued one statement. What’s another gonna do?”

Arina frowned, but gave up with a shrug. She knew Seylah had a point; nobody had been hurt, just inconvenienced, even if the intent behind it all had been malicious. There wasn’t much the Commandant or the administrators could do beyond issuing another reminder that would probably only serve to make things worse. It didn’t sit well with her, but then again, it wasn’t her career on the line. It was Seylah’s. If the cadet from Wild Space didn’t want to rock the boat any more than she already had just by being there, Arina wasn’t going to force the issue on her behalf.

Still, she wondered how much worse it might get. After the first incident, Seylah had proven resilient and able to roll with the punches – or at least put up the appearance of doing so – but everyone had a breaking point. Best case, they would be at the Academy for three years. Arina couldn’t stop herself from worrying about what else could happen in that stretch of time.

“Arina?” Luwa’s voice broke into her quickly spiraling train of thought, and she looked up. He gave her a little smile and a nod.

“You’re pacing again.”

Arina’s cheeks turned pink as she realized he was right. “Sorry,” she murmured, and sat down at the table. She picked up her datapad and tried to redirect her thoughts to focus on studying for the upcoming exam in Core Cultures.

“Hey,” Seylah said softly as the room began to settle. “You don’t have to worry about me.”

“I know,” Arina sighed. “But you’re my one friend here –” Luwa made an overly indignant sound of protest from his bunk, which she waved off with a lighthearted, “You don’t count,” before she returned her attention to Seylah.

“I just… I don’t know how I’ll get through this without you.”

Seylah smiled. “I think that’s the nicest thing anyone’s said to me.”

With an aggravated sigh, Besso stood up from his chair, kicking it back from the table. “Look, I’m trying to study here. Can’t you have your little heart-to-heart somewhere else?”

“Don’t you have a bunk you could be in?” Arina answered sharply.

With a grumbled, Besso tucked his datapad under his arm and crawled into his bunk, shutting the curtains with one last scowl at his bunkmates. Luwa just chuckled to himself as he kept reading.

“I appreciate you looking out for me,” Seylah said, picking up the conversation. “But I don’t want you getting mixed up in this with me.” She threw Luwa a pointed look. “Any of you.”

“No problem!” Besso called from his bunk, his voice muffled by the curtains.

“You know he doesn’t mean it,” Luwa assured her. “But I get it.”

“Just know, we’ve still got your back,” Arina said. “No matter what.”

Seylah chuckled. “Well, you say that now. But you never know.”

Arina made a face. “I don’t think there’s anything they can throw at you that would make me change my mind.”

She stood up and moved to wrap her arms around Seylah’s shoulders, who returned the embrace as best she could from her seated position. Growing up in a privileged Coruscant family and being at the Academy had taught Arina to stifle so much of her inclination toward physical displays of affection, and she was grateful that Seylah was always open to a hug or a touch. They had bonded so quickly in their first weeks that it was strange to think that they hadn’t been friends even a year earlier, and Arina dreaded the thought of what might happen if one of them had to leave the Academy.

The moment passed, and Arina let go to return to her seat. Without a word, she and Seylah both snapped into study mode, silently poring over their datapads. Arina got lost in reviewing her notes for the exam, until she was broken out of her trance by the soft sound of snickering. Looking up, she saw Seylah trying to stifle a grin and stay focused on her notes; turning to look at Luwa, she saw him doing much the same, until his eyes met her and he tipped his head toward Besso’s bunk. Arina shifted her focus to the curtains and couldn’t help but join in their quiet laughter.

After all his fuss, Besso was snoring.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, this has taken me a lot longer to get through than I expected. I keep bouncing around timeline-wise in the narrative, so going back and finishing things in chronological order is proving time consuming. Sorry!


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The term comes to an end, and someone doesn't make the cut. Seylah complicates her friendship with Luwa.

Seylah was relieved when the end of the first term arrived, if only because it allowed her a temporary reprieve from the covert harassment that had become a regular part of her life at the Academy. Many of the cadets had left for their week of leave, returning home to waiting parents on Coruscant or within reasonable traveling distance. Many more had packed their belongings for good, which had – to the shock and dismay of bunk A221 – included Besso.

They’d thrown him as much of a goodbye party as they could scrounge together, stealing some food from the commissary and bartering for some liquor from the senior cadets. Arina had demurred, citing her imminent return to a father with a very strict sense about alcohol, leaving her three bunkmates to it. Seylah and Luwa left most of it for Besso, assuring him he’d have plenty of time to sleep off the hangover on his way back to the Outer Rim. They still managed to get tipsy enough that Seylah’s cheeks flushed a dark rosy pink as she and Arina giggled at Besso and Luwa belting out spacefaring shanties neither of them could quite remember.

Being the only sober one in the room, Arina had volunteered to make sure Luwa made it to his transport the next morning since she was already going to be up early. She’d gone to bed first, and Seylah had been impressed that she seemed to actually fall asleep given the noise they were still making. Besso had eventually passed out snoring, but had only made it partway into his bunk, leaving Seylah and Luwa to try and push him the rest of the way in.

“Did he swallow a ton of duracrete?” Luwa grunted, trying to maneuver one of Besso’s leaden legs into place.

“Maybe we should just leave him on the floor,” Seylah whispered. “‘sides, then I can sleep in his bunk.”

“Why d’you wanna do that?” Luwa asked, giving up on maneuvering Besso into a more comfortable position.

“Mine’s so far,” she sighed, tilting her head up. Luwa followed her eyeline up the ladder and nodded.

“Yeah. Why don’t you just sleep with me?” His cheeks flushed, eyes widening as Seylah started to giggle. “No no no, I mean – just sleep in mine.”

Seylah batted her eyelashes, closing some of the distance between them. “With you?” She swore she could feel the heat radiating from his cheeks.

“I, uh… only if, y’know…” He cleared his throat. “Only if you wanted to.”

She was close enough now that he could smell the exotic scent of her shampoo, one of the last traces of home she had managed to hold onto. Her accent had been fading into posh Coruscanti all term, a change he understood but mourned; he’d developed an affection for her Wild Space accent. But given the number of times their door had needed to be repainted and the fact that she’d given up on catching a turbolift, he couldn’t fault her for leaving it behind.

“Luwa?” Seylah’s gaze was locked onto his, amber holding emerald as she rested her palms flat against his chest. “Hello?”

He realized his mind had wandered off, and he gave it a little shake to clear it, a move he instantly regretted as his head felt like it was being sloshed about in a fish tank. Seylah was already settling into his bunk on her side, pressing herself as close to the wall as she could to leave room for him. He slipped under the blanket beside her, curving his body to match hers while doing his best to leave a proper amount of space between them.

“G’night,” she murmured, drifting off.

“Good night,” he whispered back, his eyes drifting shut. Before long, they were both asleep, their soft snores drowned out by Besso’s.

***

True to her word, Arina had awoken early the next morning to pack her bag before she shuttled back to her parents’ apartment in the Federal District. She had wanted to invite Luwa and Seylah to join her, but her parents had very firmly told her no, having heard rumors about Seylah from other parents of cadets who’d placed lower than they’d hoped.

After a quick shower, she threw what she’d need for the week into her duffel and slung it over her shoulder, before moving to wake Besso up. She caught a glimpse of Luwa rolled over onto his side in his bunk, the sight of his black hair mussed by sleep making her smile until she realized that his arm was flung over Seylah’s waist, the two of them spooned close together in his bunk.

Arina’s expression quickly soured and she turned her attention back to Besso, who’d managed to roll himself out of his bunk and onto the floor sometime in the middle of the night. She gave him a sharp poke in the ribs with her toe, which only made him grumbled and roll over, curled around his own duffle.

“Besso, wake up!” she hissed into his ear, bending over to shake him by the shoulders. He opened one eye to peer up at her and yawned.

“Whatimezit?” he mumbled.

“Time for you to catch your shuttle. Come on.” Arina picked up his duffel from where it had been hung on the outside of his bunk and dropped it onto him. “Let’s get a move on.”

With a groan, he rolled and twisted until he could push himself back up to his feet, although his balance seemed a bit precarious. It took him a moment to steady himself, and another after he bent over to retrieve his duffel, but he finally blinked away some of the bleariness to see Arina.

“Why d’you look so mad?” he asked, scratching his head as he let out another yawn.

“Because you’re making us late,” she huffed, grabbing him by the wrist to pull him out the door.

“Wait, can’t I use the ‘fresher –?”

The door shut behind them, returning the room to silence. Finally stirring, Seylah yawned and arched her back, a moment of confusion falling over mind like a fog when she pressed up against something very firm, but softer than the wall. She twisted her head around to see what was behind her, and returned to staring at the wall in front of her just as quickly.

 _Karabast_. Her parents would have thrown a fit if they knew she’d picked up some salty language from their Lasat mechanic, but it had become one of her favorite words and aptly reflected her current state of mind.

The previous night started to come back to her in patches, and she wondered if she could climb over Luwa and get back to her own bunk without waking him. Then she’d just have to pray he didn’t remember what had happened, or thought it was just a dream. _Not that anything actually happened_ , she told herself, doing a quick pat down to reassure herself that she was still fully clothed.

Still, her cheeks felt flushed, although she wondered if that was also because Luwa was holding onto her so tightly and the two of them under the blanket produced an immense amount of heat. It wasn’t altogether uncomfortable; she’d had much more awkward and cramped experiences when visiting ports of call growing up on her parents’ freighter. In fact, if she was being honest with herself, it felt nice to have someone so close. His nose was buried in her hair, the soft sound of his breathing lulling her back toward sleep. The weight of his arm and the contour of his body against hers was comforting. For the first time in a very long time, Seylah realized, she didn’t feel anxious or angry about what might be waiting outside her door.

She was almost asleep again when she felt Luwa stir, a soft groan escaping him. At first she thought it was just a hangover, until she felt his hips buck, pressing a very firmly against her. Blushing all over, she loudly cleared her throat and poked his arm.

“Hey, uh, Luwa?” she said, not too loud, but loud enough to jar him awake.

“Seylah?” He yawned. “Why are you in my bed?”

She laughed nervously. “I think I was too drunk to get to mine.”

“Oh.”

There was a moment of silence as his brain tried to piece together the fog of past several hours, along with where he was and what he was doing. Seylah waited patiently for his brain to catch up, and when it did, he nearly gave himself a concussion as he jumped out of the bunk.

“I am so sorry,” he insisted, going bright red in the face as he grabbed the nearest thing he could find to cover his groin.

Seylah rolled over and sat on the edge of his bunk, feeling a little bit bad that she’d put him in such a position. “It’s okay,” she assured him. “It happens. Hell, it’s not the first time I’ve woken up to, um, _that_. I mean, not yours, obviously, but…”

She let her gaze wander, chewing on her bottom lip for a moment. Luwa sat down across from her on Besso’s bunk, still covering his groin with the wadded up towel he’d picked up.

“Oh, so uh… they don’t call it Wild Space for nothing, huh?” he teased softly. It was Seylah’s turn to go bright red.

“I’m not -! I mean, I didn’t -!” She let out a frustrated sigh. “I’m not some space slut that worked her way through the Outer Rim!”

Luwa’s eyes went wide, his hands raising defensively at her tone. “Hey, I didn’t mean it like that! I just meant… Actually, I don’t know what I meant.”

“Sorry,” she mumbled, letting her shoulders sag a little as she dropped her gaze to her fidgeting hands. “It’s just… everyone’s found something to pick at, even if they had to make it up. Like the rumor I lost my virginity to a squad of clones…”

Luwa gasped, his hand flying up to his mouth in his best impression of Arina’s scandalized face. “You mean that’s _not_ true?” He shifted to a smirk. “Damn.”

“Shut up,” Seylah muttered, trying her best not to laugh. He crossed the short distance to sit beside her.

“Look, nothing really happened between us, right?” he said. “And if you want, we never have to talk about it again.”

He gave her shoulder a gentle nudge with his. After a moment, she finally looked up to return the gesture, before resting her head on his shoulder. They sat in silence, his arm wrapped around her, both staring at Besso’s empty bunk.

“I can’t believe he’s really gone,” she finally said.

“I think I might actually miss that sandy lunk,” Luwa added. “You gonna take his bunk, so you don’t have to share mine?”

She gave him a little jab in the ribs. “What happened to not talking about it?”

He chuckled, giving her a little squeeze. “Yeah, yeah. But you never actually _said_ that’s what you wanted.”

Rolling her eyes, she stood up so she could face him. “Fine. Luwa, I don’t want to…” She trailed off, as her eyes wandered from his messy hair and smug smile to the smooth muscles she could just make out through his undershirt, and the still-tented shorts he’d given up on hiding.

“Don’t want to…?” he prompted.

She sighed. “ _Karabast._ ”

Ducking under the ledge of the upper bunk, she straddled his hips and pressed her lips to his in one swift motion that surprised him enough she managed to lay him out flat on the bunk. Her heart was racing, and the fact that his arms had immediately encircled her, pulling her in closer as he returned her kiss just made it beat even faster. After a moment, he broke the kiss, pulling his head back just enough that he could look her in the eye.

“Are you still drunk?” he asked.

“No. Are you?”

“No.”

“Good.”

The issue settled, the space between them disappeared once again, breaking only to allow the passage of a pieces of clothing on their journey to the floor. Luwa rolled to shift Seylah under him, her fingers tracing patterns across his skin as they worked their way down from his shoulders and over his back. His fingers followed a similar route, slipping between her legs to tease at her. She rewarded him with a soft moan, her hips grinding against his palm for more pressure, more contact. But he kept his pace maddeningly slow, savoring the way she whined and bucked against him.

Finally she nipped at his earlobe and panted, “Hurry up already.”

He obliged her then, throwing one of her legs up over his shoulder as he angled his hips, stopping just short of pushing into her.

“Is this… I’m not your first, am I?” he asked, almost shy.

Seylah smiled, then laughed. “Not even close. Is this your first…?”

“Uh, third, actually,” he admitted, suddenly embarrassed by how chaste he seemed in comparison. It eased when she ran her fingers through his hair, her palms settling on his cheeks as she drew him in for a deep, passionate kiss.

“Well, so far, you’re the best I’ve had,” she murmured against his lips, and spurred on, he pushed into her with a shuddering sigh. She gasped in pleasure, realizing it had been _months_ since she’d been with someone. The exact number of months, in fact, that she’d spent at the Academy. Now it made sense why everyone was so stressed.

Her previous encounters had usually been rushed and cramped, trying to sort it all out with the son of another spacer before their ships left whatever port of call they’d encountered each other in. There was an urgency with Luwa as well, but it wasn’t out of anxiety so much as an unspoken, desperate need. It wasn’t romantic or graceful, but Seylah realized she didn’t care. Some girls dreamed of the perfect night, the perfect partner, and she had never understood that daydream. She chalked it up to lack of experience on their part; once they knew the thrill and the bliss firsthand, the setting didn’t make much of a difference.

Luwa wasn’t the most skilled partner she’d had, but what he lacked in technique he more than made up for in enthusiasm. He certainly smelled the best and, along with a mechanic she’d once met who was a few years her senior, he was the most attentive to her needs and pleasures as well as his own. It left her feeling more relaxed and satisfied than she’d been in a long, long time, the waves of pleasure rolling through her carrying away most of the stress and anxiety she’d been harboring.

Luwa came with a noise somewhere between a gasp and a grunt, and stilled as he propped himself up over her. A panicked look crossed his face for a moment.

“Kriff,” he muttered, meeting her curious gaze. “Should we… should I have...? I mean, we didn’t even think about…?”

It took Seylah a moment to follow his train of thought, but when she did, she giggled. “It’s okay. We’re at the Royal Imperial Academy. They know that if they’re going to put boys and girls together, they should take some precautions.”

She kissed him lightly, then gave him a gentle shove to move him off so she could sit up. “Or maybe that’s why so many students drop out.”

Luwa chuckled as he leaned against the wall, legs splayed out in front of him across the bunk. He’d wondered about it when he first reported to the bunk only to find Arina already there, not having expected co-ed lodging.

“Precautions, huh?” he asked, catching his breath.

“Don’t you start,” Seylah teased, slipping out of the bed to grab a towel from her locker.

“Start what?” Luwa’s eyes were wide with innocence, betrayed only by the fact that he was naked and quickly recovering.

“ _That_.” Seylah nodded at his crotch. “I’m going to take a shower. And then I’m going to enjoy riding a turbolift, since there’s no one here to block me.”

Luwa just grinned and watched her go, the towel she’d wrapped around her doing very lttle to preserve her modesty, especially with the way her hips had sashayed out of the room. It gave him more than enough inspiration for when he reached the communal refreshers himself, enjoying the absence of most of their class as he took his time under the water spray. It was his favorite place to think, a luxury he’d mostly given up on during the term as other cadets became impatient and started hollering for their turn.

In his gravball days, he’d use it to replay the game in his mind, analyzing key moments and breaking them down to understand why he’d won or lost. Now, he thought about Seylah, and what kind of change this might mean for them. Their friendship had deepened over the course of the term, and while they clearly shared a strong attraction, he couldn’t shake the sense that for Seylah, it wasn’t all consuming. Which could mean a problem if he wasn’t careful and let himself fall for her. He’d come to the Academy to move on and serve the Empire, not get his heart broken again.

 _You can see the cliff’s edge, Harkin,_ he chided himself as he shut off the water and reached for his towel. _Don’t trip over it like an idiot. Again._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I mean, when you're writing about teenagers, there has to be complications and feelings and angst, amirite?


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Seylah reacts poorly to Luwa's new perception of their relationship; Luwa takes it out on Kallus, who's just trying to be a friend.

After changing into her uniform, Seylah had enjoyed the turbolift ride up to the commissary. The usually bustling area was much more subdued and most of the others she saw were senior cadets. Tray in hand, she found an empty table in the corner by the door and sat down, her back to the wall so she could keep an eye on anyone approaching, a habit she’d picked up after having a bowl full of porridge “accidentally” poured over her head one morning. She nibbled at her breakfast, stretching her legs out along the bench as she popped a piece of fruit into her mouth.

A few meters away she saw Luwa stroll in and gave him a small wave. He nodded in acknowledgement and picked up a tray to join the queue. She watched the other cadets come and go as she waited, some of them hurrying along as if they were still in classes. It made her curious if life as a senior cadet was even more absorbing.

“Cadet Eltanin.” The voice shook her out of the reverie she hadn’t realized she’d fallen into, and she looked up surprised to see a familiar pair of brown eyes.

“Senior Cadet Kallus,” she replied, smiling. “Good morning.”

Kallus raised an eyebrow and glanced at the seat across from her, which made her realize he was holding a tray of food.

“Oh, please, be my guest,” she said quickly, nodding for him to join her. Why he wanted to, she had no idea, but since they’d left on good terms after their meeting with the Commandant, her anxiety was much lower than it had been at the start of the term.

“Your accent is coming along nicely,” he noted, taking a seat. “I presume Cadet Vosov has been coaching you?”

“Arina’s been a big help,” Seylah told him. “Thank you, again, for the recommendation.”

“Has it helped?”

“Not really.” She shrugged. “But I’m optimistic for next term.”

He smiled, and took a bite of whatever fried meat the commissary staff had cooked up that morning. “I’ll admit, I’m surprised to see you. I would have thought you’d want to get away from the Academy, even just for a few days.”

“Why would I leave when everyone else is gone?” Seylah asked lightly. “You know, I rode a turbolift today for the first time in _weeks_. I wouldn’t give that up for anything.”

She grinned and popped another piece of fruit into her mouth. Kallus gave a soft chuckle. Behind him, Luwa had approached with a curious look, not quite sure what to make of seeing her chat so amiably with the cadet who had caused her so much grief.

“Mind if I join you?” he asked, sliding in to sit next to Seylah.

“Would it have stopped you?” Kallus asked, although his tone remained light.

Seylah stopped herself from rolling her eyes, keeping her smile pleasant as she introduced them. “Kallus, Luwa; Luwa, Kallus. Luwa’s my bunkmate, and Kallus –”

“I remember,” Luwa said around a mouthful of some kind of mush.

“Ah yes, you were with Cadet Vosov the night Cadet Eltanin visited me in my quarters.” Kallus couldn’t help but smirk. “Very brave of you, risking your career at the Academy that way.”

Luwa gave a shrug, and a pointed glance at Seylah. “It’s what friends do for each other.”

Seylah suddenly felt very warm, her cheeks flushing a dusty rose. Her gaze dropped quickly to her plate as she hoped that neither of the other cadets had noticed. As nonchalantly as she could manage, she cleared her throat, desperately trying to think of a new line of conversation as she absent-mindedly push a piece of fruit around her tray with her fork.

“So Kallus, I thought you were from some big time family here on Coruscant,” Luwa spoke up. Seylah hid a sigh of relief behind a sip of juice. “How come you’re spending your break here? If I were you, I’d wanna be back in my nice comfy bed with my view of the Federal District.”

“Some things are more important than comfort,” Kallus answered, his voice calm but carrying a sharp edge. Seylah wasn’t sure if it was disdain or ambition.

“Easy to give something up when you’ve never been deprived of it,” Luwa said under his breath, digging into a pile of something shredded.

“I wasn’t aware being a star athlete was enough to deprive one of the _luxury_ of comfort in the Mid-Rim,” Kallus replied calmly, taking a sip of caf.

Out of the corner of her eye, Seylah could see Luwa bristle, the muscles in jaw clenching. Worried that this time it would be Luwa gunning for Kallus – a fight she was too small to break up on her own – she stood quickly from the table, collecting her tray along with Luwa’s, much to his protest.

“Well, we’ve taken up enough of your time,” she explained apologetically at Kallus’ curious look. “It was nice to catch up with you. Enjoy the rest of your break.”

Now sullen, Luwa simply grunted an affirmation and got up to follow Seylah. She dropped their trays at the reclamation station near the exit of the mess hall, and practically yanked him by the elbow out into the corridor.

“What was that all about?” Luwa demanded, once they were out of earshot of anyone wandering by.

“You tried to save me from a fight with Kallus, now I’m returning the favor,” she told him in a low whisper as they walked.

“Who said I was gonna fight him?” Luwa asked, puffing his chest out. “I could’ve taken him with one punch.”

Seylah shot him a look that quickly deflated his pride, his shoulders sagging as he fell into step just behind her clipped pace. They walked in silence the rest of the way back to their room, which Luwa felt took much longer than usual until it occurred to him that they hadn’t once gotten on a turbolift. Guilt began to settle in his stomach as he realized that this was how she had become accustomed to getting around the sprawling Academy campus, and that as lighthearted as she was about having the temporary freedom to ride the turbolifts without issue, it really was a luxury she was being denied.

Once the door slid shut behind them, Seylah turned sharply on her heel to face him. Her amber eyes had narrowed, her brow furrowed, and Luwa couldn’t help but wince a little. In all the months they’d spent together, he’d never seen such an angry look on her face.

“What is wrong with you?” she demanded, her voice little more than a low growl, her affected Coruscanti accent giving way to her more natural Wild Space one. “Are you _trying_ to get me kicked out?”

“What are you talking about? Your parole is over!” Luwa insisted.

“Don’t be stupid,” she snapped. “I’ll _always_ be on parole here, even if it’s not official. What’s your problem with Kallus, anyway?”

“I don’t _have_ a problem with Senior Cadet Fancypants,” Luwa huffed, dropping into a chair. Seylah just stared him down, her arms crossed tightly across her chest.

“ _Fine_ ,” he sighed, rolling his eyes toward the door. “I just didn’t… You were just… so _friendly_ with him, and I thought after this morning…”

“You thought _what_ after this morning?” Seylah didn’t move, but Luwa could have sworn she was breathing down his neck.

“You know,” he mumbled, now too embarrassed to look at anything other than his feet. “I mean, we… and I just thought that meant you want to be my –”

This time Seylah did close the gap between them, pointing her finger squarely in his face when he looked up. He swore he could see flames in her eyes.

“Get this straight, Luwa,” she said sharply. “I don’t belong to you or to Kallus or to anyone else I decide I want to jump into bed with. I didn’t sleep with you because I’m in love with you, I did it because it felt good. _Really_ good. But that doesn’t mean I owe you anything, just like you don’t owe me. Got it?”

Luwa just swallowed hard and nodded.

“Good.” She let out a breath, her body relaxing as some of the anger ebbed away.

“Look, I’m sorry if I gave you the wrong idea this morning,” she sighed. “I like you, Luwa. I really do. You’re a great friend, and that’s really all I need from you.”

“I know,” Luwa admitted. “That whole time I was in the ‘fresher, I kept trying to convince myself that I’d be okay if it was just that one time. But then I saw you with him in the mess hall, and I started thinking about everything he’s done to you, and it just made me mad.”

“Done to me?” Seylah raised a curious eyebrow. “What are you talking about?”

“He’s changing you!” Luwa burst out. “He’s trying to make you fit in and be just like everyone else here, but you’re not. You’re better than them, you’re better than any of us. You shouldn’t have to fit in, because you deserve to stand out.”

“He’s helped me to _survive_ , Luwa.” She shook her head. “I’d have been gone a long time ago if it weren’t for him. Sometimes standing out isn’t always a good thing.”

She sighed, switching back to her practiced accent as she turned toward the door and keyed it open. “I’m going to work on some piloting exercises. I’ll see you around.”

Alone in the room, Luwa let out a heavy sigh and moved to flop face down into his bunk. He didn’t want to admit that she was right, but he knew it was true. Sometimes winning meant not putting an easy target on your back. It was one of the first lessons he learned in gravball, but it didn’t stop him from resenting Kallus for trying to erase the things he thought made Seylah special.

With a frustrated sigh, he rolled over to stare at the bottom of Arina’s bunk overhead. Life at the Academy was supposed to be easier, simpler. Go where you’re told, when you’re told. Don’t ask questions, don’t dwell too much. But here he was back in the middle of another mess of his own making, letting his feelings get the better of him in the worst ways. He rapped his knuckles against his temple a few times, grimacing at the dull ache that resulted.

“Stupid, stupid, _stupid_ ,” he muttered to himself, and reached absently for his datapad.

Break or not, he needed to get ahead if he was going to stay in the game, and studying seemed to be the perfect distraction from the morning’s dramatics. He called up the tactics manual one of his instructors had suggested he read up on. Settling in on his side, his propped up on his elbow, he started in and hoped that the tactics of small squadron assaults on fixed positions would be enough to distract him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And so begins the slow burn of Seylah's and Kallus' relationship... Also, this chapter ended up super short. Oh well.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Break comes to an end, and Seylah gets a new opportunity.

The rest of the break passed by with blessed little else happening. Seylah was careful to rise before Luwa to spend a long day training before returning to her bunk after she was certain he was asleep. Or at least, that he was pretending to be. For his part, Luwa had been careful to give Seylah the space she clearly wanted for the moment. He’d made a few friends with some of the other cadets, which made it easier for him to feel like he could focus on his own training without relying on his bunkmates.

Arina had arrived back to an empty room after a week at home, and was surprised at how little she missed the formal luxury of her parents’ penthouse. It felt good to toss her duffle into her locker and climb up into the cramped coziness of her bunk with her datapad as she reviewed her schedule for the upcoming term. She was so quiet that Luwa didn’t even notice her until she spoke up as he’d bent to retrieve his own datapad, causing him to hit his head on the edge of the bunk.

“Sorry,” Arina winced, quickly climbing down to check on him. She ran her fingers tenderly over his scalp, giving him a reassuring smile when they came away without blood. “Just a bump, you should be fine.”

Luwa grunted something like appreciation as he sat down on his bunk, his head still pressed to the tender spot. Arina sat across from him on the bunk that had been Besso’s, and looked around expectantly.

“Where’s Seylah?”

Luwa just shrugged. “Dunno,” he mumbled. “I’ve barely seen her.”

“Really?” Arina’s eyebrow raised. “Because you two seemed quite _close_ when I left.”

It took a moment, but Luwa’s face flushed as he realized what she meant. “Oh, so you saw that. Us. I mean, it wasn’t –”

Arina sniffed and looked away, trying her best to project disinterest rather than the heartbreak she’d been fighting all week. “You don’t have to explain anything to me. You can do what you want, I’m not in charge.”

“But that’s just it, we didn’t – I mean, we _did_ but it didn’t –”

The door slid open, revealing a freshly showered Seylah who was clearly surprised to find her room inhabited again. She stood silently for a moment, sensing the tension already inside, and wishing that they hadn’t seen her. But both Luwa and Arina stared patiently, waiting for her to step in, which she finally did with a begrudging sigh. She gave Arina a timid smile, before swallowing and giving Luwa a small wave.

“Hey, uh… long time no see,” she mumbled, moving toward her locker.

“And just where have you been?” Arina asked, arms crossed over her chest. “Luwa says he’s barely seen you.”

“Oh, you know, just been busy training,” Seylah replied, getting dressed as quickly as she could. “Just trying to keep my spot.”

Arina didn’t quite catch what Luwa muttered, although she could have sworn she heard a reference to Kallus and his genitals. Whatever he’d said, Seylah had whirled around to face him, her eyes blazing, cheeks almost as red as her hair. Arina watched wide-eyed as Seylah stalked forward and stabbed a finger in Luwa’s face.

“Get _over_ it,” Seylah whispered sharply, before turning on her heel to her locker. She redressed as fast as she could and headed for the door again.

“What is going _on_?” Arina insisted, following Seylah out into the corridor.

“Luwa’s being stupid,” Seylah grumbled, taking a sharp turn toward the turbolift bank.

“Okay, but why is he being stupid?” Arina pressed, following closely at her friend’s heel.

Seylah’s lips pressed together in a thin line as she contemplated telling Arina about what happened. On the one hand, the blonde Coruscanti was by far her closest friend at the Academy and exactly the person she should confide in. On the other, Arina wasn’t nearly as subtle as she thought she was when it came to how much of a crush she had on Luwa. Then again, since Seylah had absolutely no romantic interest in their bunkmate, that should clear the way for Arina to pursue him.

“We slept together,” Seylah finally muttered. Arina stopped in her tracks, dumbfounded.

“You _what_?!” she finally exclaimed, her voice echoing down the corridor. Seylah, now several feet ahead of her jumped and whirled around, finally realizing she’d lost Arina a few steps back.

“Shhh!” She backtracked and grabbed Arina by the arm, forcing her back into step as they approached the lifts. “It’s not – it wasn’t like that. It was one time, and it’s only going to be one time. It’s taking Luwa a little extra time to figure that out, but that’s the way it is.”

One of the lifts chimed, the doors sliding open to reveal a few students already inside. Two of them crossed their arms and started to step up to block the way, but Seylah was in no mood and simply stared them down.

“Look, I’m a student here the same as all of you,” she growled, her brows furrowed. “You all had a laugh last term keeping off the turbolifts, and if you want to try again this term, be my guest. But I’m getting on this lift whether you like it or not.”

Her jaw set, she put her hands on the shoulders of the two students blocking her path and shoved them out of her way. Then, with a satisfied smile, she stepped on to the lift, Arina following meekly behind.

“I can’t believe you just did that,” Arina whispered.

“Me either,” Seylah whispered back, her expression gone from stern to giddy.

They shared an excited grin, then calmed themselves to watch the levels go by until they reached the flight training deck near the top of the building. By then the other cadets had disembarked, leaving Seylah and Arina alone to chat more casually.

“So… how was it?” Arina asked timidly. “I mean, with Luwa?”

It was Seylah’s turn to looked surprised as they walked to one of the open simulators. “You really wanna know?” she asked.

“Maybe.” Arina’s cheeks had flushed bright pink, which just made Seylah giggle.

“It was… nice,” she finally admitted. “It wasn’t life changing or the best ever, but for what it was, it was nice.” She grinned, then gave Arina a gentle nudge with her elbow. “I think you’d like it a lot.”

Arina’s indignant gasp just made Seylah laugh harder. “I don’t – I mean, I wouldn’t – I can’t believe – Ugh!”

“Can’t believe what?”

The voice caught Seylah by surprise, as Kallus approached behind them, clearly amused by whatever he had overheard the two girls talking about. It was Seylah’s turn to blush as she saw him, which didn’t go unnoticed by Arina.

“Can’t believe how empty these simulators are so close to the start of the term,” Seylah said quickly, trying to cover. “Really, the other cadets ought to be ashamed at not taking advantage of all the extra training time they can get.”

“Well, not everyone strives to be the very best they can be,” Kallus sniffed, a playful gleam in his eye. “Wouldn’t you say so, Cadet Vosov?”

Arina blinked, suddenly realizing she was part of the conversation. “I, uh… I suppose so.”

“My parents tell me that your family is less than satisfied with your ranking after last term,” he said gently.

Arina’s lip wibbled as she dropped her gaze, and Seylah was prepared to tear into him for upsetting her. But instead, she watched in surprise as Kallus simply lay a reassuring hand on Arina’s shoulder.

“You’ve always been brilliant, Arina,” he told her sweetly. “I know you’ll pull through.” With a short nod, he left them behind, a soft smile on his face.

“I can’t believe my parents told people that!” Arina sniffed.

Seylah gave her a quick hug. “No offense, but your parents are horrible.”

“I know!” Arina cried in exasperation, and they both laughed a little, the tension eased.

A few steps later, Seylah keyed open one of the simulator units and she and Arina climbed inside. As usual, Seylah took the pilot’s seat while Arina took the weapons seat behind her. Their first term had included very basic maneuvers, most of which Seylah had demonstrated with ease, having learned to fly as a child growing up in her parents’ shipping business. It had taken her a couple of weeks to adjust to flying what was supposed to be a light and nimble fighter rather than one of her parents lurching freight haulers, but once she made the adjustment she had shot to the top of the class rankings and stayed there.

For Arina, it had been much more difficult. The closest she had come to flying was handling the controls of her father’s aircar a handful of times. She had managed to get the basics down by the end of the term, but she had hardly mastered them, and the lack of confidence her parents’ disapproval bred only made her nerves worse. She hadn’t intended on flying so soon after coming back, but if it was what Seylah was going to do, she figured it was better to work some of her nervousness out now than in front of the class.

The simulator hummed to life around them as Seylah started running through their preflight check. Word was that there was talk of forming an actual specialized school for pilot candidates, and that most of what they were being taught was rudimentary flight instruction, meant to keep an officer alive in an emergency. Seylah certainly didn’t have her heart set on being a fighter pilot, but it was a skillset she was determined to master; after all, if she was going to be an Admiral one day, she needed to know what it was like to be in any role she might command.

Preflight done, she turned her head back to check in on Arina one last time before they started. “You sure you’re up to it?” she asked.

“Let’s do this!” Arina nodded, although the expression she wore was far less confident than her response.

Seylah gave a small shrug and gently pushed up the throttle, sending their fighter soaring out of the simulated bay and into the darkness of simulated space. They moved slowly around at first, making lazy figure-eights up and over the Star Destroyers slowly floating by. Then Seylah keyed in her favorite combat situation, and Arina gave a groan that turned into a screen as it felt like the whole ship had dropped out from beneath them as Seylah moved the fighter out of the way of an incoming missile.

They spun and swooped, Arina doing more protesting than firing of laser cannons, even as Seylah tried to guide her by lining up easy targets. When Arina finally gave up altogether, Seylah took over with a sigh, taking down the enemy squadron that had been programmed to go up against them. As the simulation ended, the projection around them went dark and the hatch popped open, an instructor standing rigidly silhouetted by the corridor lights.

“Is there something wrong?” Seylah asked demurely as she turned around.

“Cadet Eltanin, come with me,” the instructor said sharply. Seylah swallowed hard, and after exchanging a nervous glance with Arina, slipped out of the simulator’s seat and followed the instructor down the corridor.

They took a sharp turn into a small office, where the instructor took a seat at his desk and logged into his data terminal. Seylah stood at attention, wondering what she’d done this time that had got her in trouble.

“Your record says that you’re ranked first in your class, especially in flight,” the instructor noted dryly, still keeping his eyes on this screen.

“Yes, sir,” Seylah confirmed, as obediently as she could.

“It also says that you’re registered for the continuation of basic flight for the second term.”

“Yes, sir.”

“You’re aware that the maneuvers you pulled in the simulator are not part of the basic flight curriculum, nor are they standard Imperial maneuvers.”

Seylah swallowed again. “I, uh… I suspected so, sir.”

“Where did you learn them?”

“Some I made up. Some I learned as a child.”

The instructor raised an eyebrow and considered her with a cool eye. “You were a fighter pilot as a child?”

“No sir, but we had a simulator game that my uncle would play with me. He was an admiral in the Clone Wars.”

The instructor made a noise that sounded like a dismissive huff and focused back on the terminal for a minute. Finally, he picked up a datacard, inserted it into the terminal, then pulled it back out and handed it to Seylah across the desk.

“I’ve transferred you out of basic flight. Report to Captain Fib’s class instead. He’ll challenge you, but give him this datacard and you’ll be fine.”

Seylah was stunned, her mouth hanging slightly agape as she accepted the datacard and tucked it safely into her pocket. “So I’m not in trouble?” she asked in disbelief.

The instructor smiled and gave a small huff of a laugh. “No, you’re not in trouble. But don’t expect Fib to go easy. He hates showoffs. Dismissed, cadet.”

With a sharp salute, Seylah turned and left, a little dazed by what had just happened. She found Arina waiting anxiously down the corridor, a puzzled look on her face as Seylah approached.

“Well? What happened?” Arina demanded as she fell into step, both of them making their way back toward the turbolifts.

“I got moved up from Basic Flight,” Seylah told her, producing the datacard as some kind of display of proof. “They put it me in some advanced class instead.”

“That’s good, right?” Arina asked, cautiously optimistic.

“I think so,” Seylah said, tucking the datacard safely back into her pocket. “Or someone’s setting me up to fail. But at least I won’t throw the curve anymore.”

“Thank you,” Arina scoffed, and they both laughed. “It wasn’t fair, you already know how to fly!”

“Hey, I don’t make the curriculum,” Seylah said, playfully defensive as the lift chimed its arrival.

They stepped inside, grateful that it was empty, and pressed the key for their barracks. As they descended, Seylah’s hand kept patting the outside of her pocket, verifying that she hadn’t lost the datacard. She was trying not to get her hopes up too high, but if all went well, it could be her ticket out of the torment she’d endured in her first term. Out of her cohort, she didn’t expect very many people to know who she was, and since her accent had improved, she hoped she wouldn’t be as big a target. Placing first wasn’t even important to her; all that mattered was that she was able to hold her place and graduated from the Academy in good standing so she could move on to a decent assignment.

Without realizing it, she spent the rest of her day with a small, hopeful smile on her face. Although her time at the Academy was still in its early days, she could already see the light at the end of the tunnel that promised a brighter future than anything she’d find in Wild Space. She just hoped that it was the light of success, and not a speeder about to her run her down.


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> New term, new issues. Seylah starts a new class that begins with a welcome gesture and ends with very, very bad news. Also - Kallus finally gets a first name (Thanks, Filoni)!

Two days later, Seylah stepped into Captain Fib’s classroom, which was much smaller and dimly lit than she anticipated. Across the room she spotted Kallus, who looked surprised to see her but still gave her a friendly wave, which she shyly returned before marching up to the instructor’s lectern at the front of the room. Fib looked up for a moment before returning his attention back to the data console, leaving Seylah to stare in curiosity for a moment: Captain Fib was a clone.

“Basic flight is down the hall, cadet,” he told her dismissively.

“Yes, sir, but I’ve been given orders to report here.” Seylah fought the urge to chew on her bottom lip as Fib raised his eyes to her once again, focusing her in a withering stare.

“Really.”

He followed her hand as it pulled out the datacard and handed it over, making her wait for a long moment before he finally took it and plugged it into this console. She watched as his eyes followed whatever was on the screen, his face unreadable, but she figured he at least didn’t look displeased. After a couple of minutes he turned off whatever he’d been looking at and gave her one last inscrutable look.

“Take a seat in the back, cadet,” he told her gruffly. “Don’t expect me to hold your hand, just because you’re new.”

Seylah gave a short nod and a turned to retreat to the back row. The senior cadets already seated there shifted to keep their legs in her way as she picked her way past them, tripping on the last cadet’s outstretch foot so that she fell clumsily into the empty seat at the end of the row. The senior cadets snickered softly, as Seylah directed her attention forward, already feeling the heat from her cheeks. Three rows ahead, Kallus and Jovan turned back to see where she’d ended up; Jovan gave her a polite smile and turned back to the front of the class. Kallus’ gaze lingered a little longer, his brow furrowing when she didn’t move her gaze from Captain Fib at the lectern as class began.

“All right, settle down,” Fib bellowed, and the room fell silent. “As _most_ of you know –” he threw a pointed look at Seylah, then continued, “ – this is the term you’ve been waiting for. No more textbooks, no more simulators: it’s time to try the real thing.”

An excited murmur went through classroom, and Fib even allowed a small smirk before he waved his hand to quiet the cadets down. “Now, as some of you may have noticed, we have a last minute addition to the class.”

Seylah wanted to slump down into her seat so no one could see her, but with all eyes staring at her – some annoyed, other curious – she decided it was better to keep her posture straight and try her best to look like she felt she belonged.

“Don’t worry, I’m not going to force her on any of you,” Fib assured the others. “But if anyone wants to –” He came to a pause, his brow furrowing as a hand shot up in the first row. “Yes, Cadet Kallus?”

“I’ll fly with Cadet Eltanin, sir,” Kallus said, and another murmur rippled through the room.

Fib crossed his arms over his chest and leaned against the lectern, amused. “You didn’t even hear how much extra credit I’d be willing to give you.”

“Respectfully sir, I don’t believe Cadet Eltanin will be a burden,” Kallus replied. “If she’s been accelerated through flight training, it must be for good reason.”

Seylah felt her cheeks flush even more as Fib met her gaze for a moment. Then with a shrug, he stepped back around the lectern to start the class in earnest.

“Your future, Kallus,” he muttered as he keyed on the larger projection screen behind him and started their briefing.

In the front, Jovan leaned over from his seat next to Kallus and murmured, “Our last term, and you’re really going to abandon me?”

“I can’t carry you through everything, my friend,” Kallus murmured back, giving Jovan a good-natured jab with his elbow as he turned his focus back to the briefing. When it was over, he stood and waited for the other cadets to file past until Seylah was finally able to make her way down. They fell into step with the other cadets as they made their way out of the briefing room toward the hangar at the end of the hall.

“You really didn’t have to take pity on me,” Seylah muttered as they trailed the rest of the class.

“I meant what I said, Cadet Eltanin,” Kallus replied. “You wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for good reason.”

“And what if that reason is to teach me a lesson?” Seylah asked. “To put me in my place, or finally engineer a way to kick me out?”

Kallus chuckled a little as they entered the hangar. “You haven’t spent as much time with Captain Fib as I have. He doesn’t blink when he’s impressed.”

“So?”

“So, he didn’t blink the whole time he was reviewing whatever was on that datacard you handed him.”

They stopped next to one of the old ARC-170 fighters that hadn’t already been claimed. Seylah laid her hand on the hull, running it along the length with a smile. Then, curious, she turned back to Kallus.

“I thought these were three-man fighters?”

“They used to be,” Captain Fib answered as he approached. “Astromech does a good enough job as a co-pilot. Kallus, you’ll pilot first. Eltanin, that makes you the gunner.”

The cadets snapped off a salute as Fib moved on to the next pair of students. With a small bow, Kallus signaled for Seylah to climb in first, then followed her up the ladder. Their helmets on, they ran through a com and systems check.

“ _When you’ve finished pre-flight, you’re clear for takeoff_ ,” Fib’s voice crackled through the coms. “ _Rendezvous coordinates transmitting now_.”

Their check done and clearance received, Kallus eased the old fighter off the hangar deck and toward the massive bay doors that sat open to the Coruscanti sky. At the back of the cockpit, Seylah finished her final weapons check as Fib’s voice came back with more instructions.

“ _Your fighters have all been equipped with lasers to paint your targets, and receptors to show when you’ve been marked. Critical hits will ground you until the end of the exercise. You’ll stay flying otherwise, but remember – these things add up. Too many hits, or enough critical systems damaged, and you’ll be down too._ ”

“I hope your aim is as good as your charming wit,” Kallus remarked as they followed the lane of traffic from the Academy to the open, abandoned space of the training ground several hundred kilometers from any population center.

“You chose me, remember?” Seylah chided him playfully, making practice maneuvers with the controls. Simulators were one thing; the laser cannon on the ARC-170 had a significant weight behind it that pulled in a way the simulator couldn’t quite capture. She was going to have to remember to use a little extra pull or allow a little more response time.

Left in a holding pattern until the last ship – Captain Fib’s own ARC fighter, painted a bright yellow, unlike the faded blue of the cadets’ – had arrived.

“ _Remember, this is a primary evaluation: every fighter for themselves. Squads will be assembled based on your ranking in this exercise. Take your starting positions._ ”

Kallus maneuvered the fighter to their assigned spot, the fighters all forming a ring with a couple of hundred meters between them. Fib’s craft took a spot high above them where he could easily observe the chaos that was about to unfold. Seylah could practically hear the muscles and tendons in Kallus’ hands tense up, the leather of his gloves squeaking against the rubberized grip of the joystick.

“ _On my mark, begin._ ”

Seylah could have sworn Fib enjoyed the long, long moment he took. But as soon as the thought passed through her mind, one of the fighters took off out of the formation, only to be immediately disabled by a single shot from Fib’s fighter. She quickly realized that it wasn’t a long pause to torment them; it was a test.

“ _Congratulations, Prabis and Loe. You are officially the first casualties of the term._ ”

Over the com, they could hear the two cadets arguing loudly as their fighter descended on autopilot to a safer altitude, out of the way of the others.

“ _Impatience will get you and your squad killed._ ” Seylah wondered if it was even possible for clones to be impatient. “ _Let this be a lesson: wait until your commanding officer gives the order. Mark._ ”

Seylah almost missed, as clearly did half their class, but Kallus was already pulling out of the formation to line up their first target.

“Strafing run, starboard side,” he called out, and Seylah swiveled in the turret to line up the shots. The first few missed their mark, but the last caught one of the other fighters that had been too slow to leave the formation squarely in the canopy. The receptors flashed red and sent the craft down the “grounded” altitude.

Before long, the computer started to beep a rapid alert that another fighter had locked weapons on them from behind. Kallus called out another maneuver, Seylah acknowledged it, and a moment later was swinging the turret around as their fighter drifted up and behind its pursuer. A moment later, the other fighter was down.

Seylah could feel the excitement and anticipation building in her, tightening her stomach as she and Kallus worked in tandem to eliminate their classmates or evade their attempts to take them down. It seemed to her like it was over in the blink of an eye, although a glance at the chronometer told her it had been several minutes.

Kallus gave a triumphant yell as they emerged victorious from the skirmish, glancing back over his shoulder with a wide grin that was matched by Seylah’s.

“Still regret choosing me?” she teased.

“Never,” he replied, as Fib’s voice crackled back into the com.

“ _Well done, Kallus and Eltanin. Now, reset._ ”

***

After four more scrimmages, two more of which they also won, Kallus brought their fighter back to the hangar for a smooth landing, and he and Seylah hopped down from the cockpit with a triumphant whoop. Around them, their classmates were returning as well, leaving their fighters with much less enthusiasm as they started to shuffle out of the hangar. Jovan at least jogged over from his fighter with a smile, offering them each a congratulatory handshake.

“Congratulations. I can see you truly belong here, Eltanin,” he said brightly, then hurried off to catch up with some other friends.

“That was incredible,” Seylah admitted breathlessly, climbing partway back up the ladder to return her helmet to her seat.

“Eltanin!” She froze as Fib’s voice rang out across the hangar, meekly climbing back down as the aging clone strode quickly toward her. “Come with me, cadet,” he told her sternly, guiding her toward an empty corner of the hangar.

“Sir, if there’s a problem –” Kallus began as he followed them. Fib whipped around, stopping them both in their tracks.

“This doesn’t concern you, Kallus,” he growled, but there was something in his voice and the look he gave that told Kallus whatever was going on, it wasn’t because Seylah was in trouble.

Kallus watched from a distance as Fib conferred with Seylah in hushed tones, trying to be as nonchalant about lingering behind as possible. After a few minutes, he saw Seylah burst suddenly into tears, dropping to her knees as her sobs echoed through the emptying space. He watched Fib drop down for a moment, reaching a hand out in what looked like an attempt to console her. The clone pulled her back up to her feet, said one last thing to her, and started to walk away. That was when Kallus started to walk quickly toward her, exchanging a curious glance with Fib as their paths crossed.

Seylah had stumbled to a nearby wall, crumpling against it as all the strength left her body. Kallus arrived a moment later, concern etched into his young face.

“What happened?” he asked, fearing the worst. “Are they expelling you?”

Seylah tried to answer, but her sobbing had tightened her throat past being able to speak. She settled for shaking her head. The concern in Kallus’ face eased a little as he settled in next to her against the wall.

“Then what is it?” he asked softly.

She swallowed hard several times, trying to clear the lump in her throat. Kallus waited patiently, his arm wrapped gently around her shoulders as they heaved while she tried to bring her crying back under control. Finally, she blew out a breath, and managed to croak out four words.

“My parents. They’re dead.”

Kallus was speechless. After all the troubles she’d endured in her first term, her parole, the constant threat of expulsion, he had never imagined that something worse could happen.

“… How?” he finally asked softly. “If you don’t mind my asking.”

“Pirates, it looks like,” she replied with a sniffle, wiping her hands roughly at her eyes to clear some of the tears away. “They’re always a threat in Wild Space, especially to freighters.”

They sat in silence for a long moment, Kallus’ face pulled into a grimace as he contemplated the dangers beyond his sheltered life in the Core. Seylah’s breathing began to slowly steady, although her chest still felt as though someone had wrapped it in a durasteel cage.

“I’m sorry, I don’t mean to keep you,” she finally apologized, slipping out from Kallus’ arm to stand a little ways away.

“No, no, it’s alright,” he assured her, getting up as well. “Is there something I can do for you? Maybe call Arina…?”

“No.” Seylah shook her head, chewing at her bottom lip as she tried to reorder the chaos her thoughts had descended into. “She’ll just take pity and make sure I’m eating, and insist I come home with her at the next break, and…”

“I believe that’s called ‘caring’,” Kallus remarked dryly, allowing a small smile when Seylah gave a snort.

“I suppose it is,” she admitted. “But it’s still… too much right now. I just need to maintain some order, go to biochem, go to combat training.”

Kallus gave a small nod. “Well, if you should find yourself needing a friend who _won’t_ smother you in concern… you can call on me.”

Tears still glistened on her cheeks, but Seylah managed a smile, and he began to understand what Luwa found so attractive about her. “Thank you, Senior Cadet Kallus.”

“Ah,” he held up a hand to politely correct her. “Alexsandr.”

“Alexsandr.” Her eyes brightened a little as she repeated the name, then gestured to herself. “Seylah.”

“Seylah.” He smiled warmly. “Yes, I remember.”

There was a richness in his voice as he said her name, a quality she’d never heard from anyone else. It reached through the crushing sadness and soothed her unexpectedly, and she found that she wanted nothing else than to simply sit and listen to him speak. Which was utterly foolish. They both had better things to do with their lives. Didn’t they?

“Come on,” Kallus said, nodding toward the door. “I’ll walk you to your next class.”

Seylah wiped her sleeve across her face, trying to clear away any sign that she’d been crying, and blew out a breath to steady herself.

“You sure?” she asked. “You know this place is a gossip mill.”

“And what would they gossip about?” Kallus asked, raising an eyebrow. Seylah blushed.

“That you’re being soft on a new cadet,” she mumbled, trying to straighten out her uniform.

Kallus let out a soft chuckle. “Well then, let them gossip. It wouldn’t be the first time.” Off of her curious look, he added, “You’re not the only one who’s had to fight the jealousy of their peers.”

Seylah wanted to press the issue, but decided now wasn’t the time nor place for that discussion. It certainly helped put things in perspective for her, as far as Kallus’ sympathetic turn toward her after their confrontation. She wondered just what he’d had to put up with in his time at the Academy, and if it had been as bad as what she’d experienced. From what she could work out, he seemed to be well respected – if not necessarily well liked – among his classmates. But it sounded as though it hadn’t always been that way.

Breaking her from her momentary reverie, Kallus placed a hand on her shoulder, giving her a gentle push to start her walking. Her feet felt heavy, and she moved slowly at first, but knowing he was by her side made it easier to reach the door, and then the corridor, and then the lift. They didn’t talk much the rest of the way, until they had arrived at the door to her biochemistry class.

“Stay strong, Seylah,” he told her with a reassuring smile. “Remember there _are_ some of us here who care for you.”

She gave him a small nod and a shy, thankful smile, before she stepped into the classroom. On the other side of the door, Kallus listened for a moment to make sure all was well before heading toward his next class, grateful he had a little longer break to get there.

He knew she’d had a point earlier; after choosing her as his partner in Fib’s class, and now this, rumors were likely to start circulating. But for once, he found he didn’t much care what they said. There was something special about Seylah, something few others could see. He’d meant what he’d said all those weeks ago in the administrator’s office – she had the potential to be a great asset to the Empire, and it would truly be a waste to squander that potential by expelling her from the Academy or letting her settle into a second-rate academic career. He could see a reflection of himself in her; the drive, the ambition, the need to excel. It had served him well in his time at the Academy.

He only hoped it would do the same for her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THE SLOW BURN CONTINUES...
> 
> ... and time skips will probably start happening because I need to hit fast forward to get to some good Kallus and eventually Thrawn action.


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Seylah tries to grieve alone, but learns it's not entirely possible as her relationship with Kallus grows closer.

Seylah managed to make it through the rest of the week without breaking down by keeping her head down and focusing on her work. Somehow she managed to avoid looking Arina in the eye; the blonde assumed it was some lingering guilt after their discussion about Luwa and simply let it be, which Seylah was grateful for.

Every night, she tossed and turned, dreaming of what her parents’ last moments might have been like every time she closed her eyes. Finally, she gave up one night and climbed silently out of her bunk to go for a run in the pre-dawn hours. There were a number of tracks on the upper levels of the Academy, but Seylah preferred to run the corridors and stairways; it had helped her learn the layout of the building early on, which became especially useful when avoiding potential tormentors.

By the time the sun was just beginning to breach the horizon, she had made it all the way to the hangar at the top of the Academy. A handful of droids milled around the cavernous space, but there was no one else around as far as she could see, which she was grateful for as she paused to catch her breath for a few moments. She marveled bleakly at the fact that just a few days before, she had been giddy when she’d stepped through the doors. Now, a cold dread seized her as she looked across the room to the place she’d been standing when Fib had given her the news.

She walked slowly across the duracrete floor to the access control for the nearest set of bay doors that opened the hangar to the world outside, inserting her access card to open them. After a moment’s delay, there was a soft click, and the doors slowly began to part in the middle, the golden hues of sunrise streaming in. She slipped through the doors to stand on the ledge that formed a small lip outside the hangar, slowly taking step after step closer to the edge. This far up, the wind was already howling sharply through the structures, catching lengths of her hair to whip around.

She wasn’t sure how long she stood there, staring out and down at the tangle of buildings and pipes and walkways and landing pads around her. It wasn’t until she heard a gruff voice behind her that she realized she wasn’t alone anymore.

“You planning on jumping?”

Seylah turned her head to see Fib standing behind her, arms crossed over his broad chest.

“You wouldn’t be the first, or the last,” he continued, taking a few steps closer until he stood beside her. “Lots of cadets have given up here.”

“I’m not giving up,” Seylah muttered.

“Good,” Fib replied shortly. “Because last I checked, Eltanins weren’t quitters.”

It took Seylah a moment for the comment to register in her sleep-deprived state, but when it did, her eyes went wide.

“You served with my uncle, didn’t you?” she asked. Fib nodded.

“The Admiral got us through some close scrapes,” he told her. “Even when all seemed lost, he pushed through. At least, until he got word…”

Fib shook his head, remembering the whispers among the troopers: _The Admiral’s son died on Felucia._ Seylah knew the moment he meant; her cousin, who had been taken by the Jedi before she was born, had been killed in action on Felucia as a Padawan. It had turned her family, which was already wary of the Jedi after losing Jamiss to them, against the Order completely and sent her uncle into a downward spiral that ultimately led to his demise at the hands of the Separatists.

“You lost everything when the Clone Wars ended, didn’t you?” Seylah asked softly. “How did you go on?”

Fib set his jaw, staring out toward the sunrise for a long while. Seylah regretted her question; she knew discussion of the Clone Wars, the Jedi, and the Republic had become taboo in a show of deference to the Emperor. It was a silent rule she didn’t much care for; grateful though she was for the increase of stability and security the Empire’s rule granted, life under the Republic was hardly a distant memory. Especially in the Outer Rim and beyond, those memories were what people clung to – either as proof of the Empire’s benevolence, or its cruelty.

Then again it occurred to her that, for the Clone Troopers who had survived the war, the predicament may have been much more precarious. Allegiance to the fallen Republic was likely grounds for execution, or whatever clinical term some Imperial bureaucrat had invented to hide the fact that they were killing people. It had been a point of contention all the way through the Clone Wars, of whether or not to humanize the clones by acknowledging them by names instead of birth numbers. Her uncle had always reminded her that, clone or not, they _were_ human, and thus were due all the considerations that accompanied that.

“We were born to serve,” Fib finally said quietly. “Early on, some of my brothers didn’t care to serve an Empire when they’d been born to serve the Republic. Personally, I’d rather live and remember that whatever the name, we serve the _people_ , than die for an ideology someone programmed into me.”

Seylah nodded in agreement. “My uncle used to say the same thing. I asked how he could serve a government that had abandoned us, that had stolen his family away. He always said it was about the people, not the politics.”

“And what about you, cadet? Why do you want to serve?”

“So no one has to feel like this again,” Seylah murmured.

Fib gave her a grim smile. “I never had parents, but I had brothers. Every time I lost one, I’d swear to myself – _not one more_. That’s what kept me going when it got really tough. Not the Republic or the Jedi. In those darkest moments, I kept fighting for my brothers.”

He clapped a hand on Seylah’s shoulder. “You’re going to be fine, cadet. Channel your pain into something good. And remember –”

“ _Not one more_ ,” Seylah repeated.

“Off you go, then,” Fib said, guiding her back toward the hangar. “And don’t think for a moment that this means I’ll be easy on you.”

She followed his direction obediently, snapping off a salute once they were back inside before she headed off toward the refreshers. Despite the lack of sleep, she felt clear-headed as she stepped into the showers and preared for the day.

At breakfast, Kallus caught her eye from a few tables away, where he sat with Jovan and a few other senior cadets. Even from a distance he could see she hadn’t been sleeping, but the determined look in her eyes when they met his gaze told him he didn’t need to worry. She wasn’t nearly as fragile as some hoped.

The moment was interrupted by Luwa and Arina joining Seylah at the table, Luwa purposefully sitting himself directly in the way of Kallus’ line of sight. Arina gave a curious glance around him as she took a seat next to Seylah.

“You and Kallus seemed to be on better terms,” Arina noted, sweetening her mush to a more palatable point. “I heard he even picked you to be his partner in Advanced Flight.”

“If you want to stay the best, you pick the best,” Seylah replied with a shrug.

“Well, you won’t stay the best if you don’t get some sleep,” Arina chided, her blue eyes wide with concern. “You’ve been up every night when I’ve gone to bed, and when I wake up, you’re already gone. Is everything okay?”

Seylah forced a reassuring smile. “I’m fine. Just excited about the new term, I guess.”

“I bet you are,” Luwa mumbled, which earned him a stern look from both girls.

“Jealousy is an ugly color on you, Luwa,” Arina snapped, before turning her attention back to Seylah. “Well, whatever’s going on, you know that you can always talk to me.”

Seylah gave her a grateful smile. “I know. Thanks, Arina.”

“So, why’d he drop you off at biochem the other day?” Luwa asked around a mouthful of food.

“No reason,” Seylah deflected, pushing her food aimlessly around her tray.

“I heard you two did well in the first scrimmage,” Arina said. “Maybe he stayed behind to... celebrate?”

She gave a playfully lascivious waggle of her eyebrows, which made Luwa frown and Seylah laugh as she swatted at her friend. Their laughter faded slowly as they looked up to see that Kallus was now hovering politely at the end of the table.

“Well, you certainly seem to be enjoying yourselves this morning,” he noted, before shifting his attention to Seylah specifically. “Seylah, might I have a word?”

“Sure,” she answered with a nod, ignoring Arina’s raised eyebrow as she got up.

Kallus gestured toward the exit of the mess, letting Seylah lead the way, before ushering her partway down a nearby corridor that branched off, giving them some measure of seclusion.

“What is it?” Seylah asked.

“You haven’t told them yet, have you?” Kallus pressed, his brow furrowing in concern.

“They don’t need to know,” Seylah huffed. “I shouldn’t have even told you.”

“You had to tell _someone_ ,” Kallus insisted. “Sooner or later, they’re going to find out, and it will be better if it comes from you.”

Seylah paced back and forth for a long moment, before letting out a frustrated sigh, her fist slamming against the wall with a strangled cry. There was something ferocious in the motion that surprised Kallus; without even realizing it, he had taken a step back, as though afraid she would hit him next. It took him a moment to reorient himself and realize that there wasn’t any threat. Whatever anger had overtaken Seylah had quickly faded into sorrow, her head hanging low as her shoulders shook with quiet sobs.

In an instant, he had closed the distance between them, wrapping her up in his arms. She clutched tightly at his tunic, the fabric balling up in her fists as she tried desperately to regain control over her emotions. It was unsightly to fall apart in such a dramatic fashion, especially in the corridors of the Royal Imperial Academy. At any moment, someone could walk by and see them.

“It’s going to be alright,” Kallus said, doing his best to soothe her. “You’ll pull through this, just like you’ve done with every other challenge you’ve faced.”

Seylah looked up, her grip on his tunic relaxing. Her cheeks were wet, her eyes still glistening, but she sniffled as she let out a little laugh.

“Why are you always so nice to me?” she asked.

Kallus opened his mouth to answer, until he heard footsteps approaching. They quickly stepped apart, Seylah roughly wiping away any trace that she’d been crying while Kallus straightened out his tunic. Sure enough, a moment later Arina’s head popped around the corner and let out a sigh of relief.

“ _There_ you are,” the blonde said, grabbing Seylah by the arm. “Come on, we’re going to be late for class.”

“Uh, we’ll have to catch up on that… training maneuver later,” Seylah stammered at Kallus as Arina began to haul her away.

“Yes, of course,” Kallus replied with a short nod, before he silently mouthed, “ _Tell her._ ”

Seylah gave him as much of a positive response as she could before she and Arina turned the corner, headed for the turbolifts.

“Training maneuver, huh?” Arina asked as they waited. “That’s what he wanted to talk to you about?”

“Yeah, you know...” Seylah shoved her hands into her pockets, her gaze wandering anywhere but in Arina’s direction. “It takes some getting used to, flying real fighters over the sims.”

“Uh-huh. Then why are you blushing?”

“I’m not blushing,” Seylah said defensively, until she realized that her crying bout must have made her cheeks flushed. She was faced with a choice: lie about why they were red, or finally tell Arina the truth.

“Okay, maybe I’m blushing a little bit,” Seylah added, playing up the part of lovesick schoolgirl. “Can you blame me?”

Arina just chuckled as the lift arrived. “Not in the least. Practically everyone’s had a crush on Kallus at some point.”

Seylah laughed. “Well, _that_ explains why Luwa’s always acts so strange around him!”

Arina couldn’t help but laugh too as the lift doors closed, sending them off to their first class of the day.

***

It wasn’t until the second round of rankings came out that Arina began to realize something wasn’t quite right with Seylah. The late nights and early mornings had been easy enough to reason, but in one round, Seylah had gone from first to fifteenth. It didn’t track with how much time she was supposedly putting into staying on top, and Arina was determined to find out why.

That night, she went to sleep early, already dressed and ready for the next day. By the time Seylah came to bed, the room was dark and quiet, and she was hardly concerned with Arina other than trying not to wake her.

All night, Seylah tossed and turned, catching her sleep in fits and starts as usual. When she rose, it was just before dawn; exhausted, she climbed down out of her bunk and nearly screamed when she turned around to find Arina sitting patiently at their small table.

“What are you doing up?” she asked over her shoulder, changing into shorts and a tank.

“I could ask the same thing,” Arina replied.

“I’m going for a run, obviously.”

“Oh, _obviously_.” There was more sarcasm in Arina’s voice than usual, and it made Seylah pause.

“What, you don’t believe me?” Seylah pressed.

“No, I don’t,” Arina huffed. “Because I saw the rankings that came out yesterday, and they don’t add up.”

“Whatever,” Seylah grumbled, shutting her locker and heading for the door.

Arina was up in a flash, standing firmly between Seylah and the door, arms crossed sternly across her chest. “ _What is going on_?” she hissed.

“Why do you even care?” Seylah snapped. “If they send me back to Lysatra, that means one less person for you to have to compete with. So why is it so important to you?”

“Because you’re my friend!” Arina snapped back, louder than she meant to judging by how much Luwa had stirred.

“Because you’re my friend,” she repeated, lowering her voice again, “and I don’t think I can do this without you.”

Tears glistened in Arina’s eyes, barely visible in the dimly lit room. Seylah’s posture softened, the harsh defensiveness dissipating.

“Arina…” she sighed.

“Wait.” Arina brushed away her tears, a thought occurring to her. “You said they’d send you back to Lysatra.”

“Yeah, that’s where I’m from,” Seylah said impatiently. “Or did you forget?”

“No, it’s just… you never mention it by name.”

Seylah’s stomach dropped.

“You always just talk about home, because that’s wherever your parents were.” Arina’s eyes went wide as she started to fear the worst.

“Seylah… did something happen to them?”

Seylah tried to maintain her composure, but it was in vain. Weeks worth of grief and anger and sorrow poured out of her as she crumbled to the floor, letting out a howling sob that had Luwa up and at their side in a moment. She tried to tell them, but the words caught in her throat every time, blocked by the ever tightening lump that had settled there.

Still only half-awake and very confused, Luwa threw a questioning glance at Arina, who could only offer a sympathetic one in return as they kneeled next to their sobbing friend. Luwa finally managed to coax Seylah off the floor, half-escorting, half-carrying her to sit on the empty bunk. He and Arina sat on either side, keeping her close as she sobbed and sniffled and hiccupped, until finally she was able to take a deep breath.

“Instructor Fib told me, first day of term,” Seylah mumbled. “Pirates, they think. Took the ship, left them in an escape pod in a remote system. By the time anyone got there…”

She took a shuddering breath, the vision of her parents final moments that had haunted her dreams flashing before her eyes. Luwa wrapped an arm around her waist, tugging her a little closer. Arina leaned her head against Seylah’s shoulder, taking her friend’s hand between hers.

“They were all I had,” Seylah whispered, starting to cry again. “Everyone else is gone. My aunt and uncle, my cousin. They all died years ago. I’m all that’s left now.”

“You’ve still got us,” Arina murmured, giving Seylah’s hand a squeeze. “Right, Luwa?”

Luwa nodded. “No matter what happens, we’ll always stick together. I promise.”

***

Breakfast that morning was the best that Seylah could remember, not because the food had suddenly improved, but because she felt a weight had lifted from her shoulders. For the first time in a long time, she did more than push her food around her tray, which earned an approving smile from Arina. Even Luwa gave her a look of relief when they left the table, depositing their empty trays before heading toward their classes.

Seylah peeled off, headed to the hangar for the Advanced Flight class with a wave and a bounce in her step. Behind her, she could hear the approaching chatter of senior cadets as they started to wonder what their postings would be upon graduation. Before long they’d caught up to her and she turned to greet them with a smile.

“You look chipper this morning, Cadet Eltanin,” Jovan observed. “No longer burdened by the pressure of remaining at the top of your class, I take it?”

“Not in the least,” she replied.

Jovan chuckled as the group overtook her by several steps, although Kallus hung back to walk at her side.

“I told Arina,” Seylah confessed. “Well, she found out. Sort of. In any case, she and Luwa know now.”

“And?” Kallus asked, an eyebrow raised.

“And I feel better for it,” Seylah added with a shrug.

“ _And_?” Kallus pressed.

“And… you were right.”

Kallus made a triumphant noise and smirked as they turned the corner into the hangar. Further in, a clump of senior cadets appeared deep in conversation; they turned to look at the pair as they entered, then went back to chatting in hushed tones. Seylah couldn’t help but frown at the sight. She knew gossip when she saw it.

“Now what do you think that’s all about?” Kallus wondered as Fib stepped into the hangar behind them.

“To your ships, cadets!” the old clone bellowed as he strode past Kallus and Seylah, shooting stern looks at any cadet that wasn’t immediately rushing to their fighter. “Today you get to try some live fire exercises. So stay alert, and don’t kill anyone you don’t mean to.”

“Ladies first,” Kallus said, giving a sweeping bow from Seylah to the cockpit.

She bowed in return and climbed in, starting the preflight check as he climbed up to the gunner’s seat. After so many weeks of flying with Kallus, it all seemed like second-nature to them; which switches to flip, just how much to pull back on the yoke or how quickly it could be turned to send the fighter into a sharp bank. Despite how tired she was, she was still confident that they would ace this exercise like they had so many others before.

It was a straightforward setup: shoot down the armed droid ships before they could disable the ARC fighter. The first two rounds went well enough; they took a couple of hits, but nothing serious. In the third round, however, Seylah found herself frozen after a particularly close shot from one of the drones. Despite Kallus’ shouting, she couldn’t jar herself out of it before they took a direct hit to one of the engines, sending the fighter spiraling downwards.

She was able to bring the fighter down to a safe landing on a nearby platform, but couldn’t bring herself to look Kallus in the eye until they’d been returned back to the hangar. When she finally mustered the courage to do so, she could see he wasn’t so much angry as he was frustrated. All things considered, they’d still done better than most of the class. But they both knew they could have done better.

“Meet me after dinner,” he told her shortly.  “I want to run through some exercises, while today’s still fresh.”

Seylah nodded and set off for her next class, running through the morning’s flight again and again. It consumed her thoughts; how could she have failed so thoroughly? Arina’s voice popped into the back of her mind, nagging that it had been weeks since she’d had a proper night’s rest. No mind could continue functioning and peak capacity like that. Her own failure was acceptable enough, but failing Kallus was something that she couldn’t let go.

That evening, she met him after dinner in the simulator banks just as he’d asked. They climbed into an open unit set up to mirror the ARC, and launched into the first simulation. Hours passed as they flew simulation after simulation, until they were back in sync, having fixed the problems that had plagued their earlier flight. Finally satisfied, Kallus shut down the unit, the running lights coming on.

“I want to apologize,” Seylah announced as they undid their restraints. “I failed you this morning, but I promise it won’t happen again.”

“Good,” Kallus replied. “I wouldn’t want the rumors to be true.”

“Rumors?” Seylah asked as they left the unit.

“That I only picked you because you’re pretty,” he said nonchalantly.

Seylah’s cheeks immediately burned a rosy pink. “Oh. It’s – I mean, I know you don’t think that.”

“Who said I don’t?” Kallus asked, and Seylah very suddenly realized that the corridor around them was completely empty.

“You really think I’m pretty?” she stammered.

“Very,” he said softly, reaching out to brush an errant lock of hair behind her ear. “But I also picked you for your talent and intelligence.”

“Oh, well...” Seylah shrugged, letting out a sigh as she finally started to move toward the lift bank.

Kallus followed just behind her, and she gave him a curious look. “Are the lifts to the Senior Cadet barracks in the other direction?”

“It’s late,” Kallus answered with a shrug. “I thought it best to escort you back to your rack. Just in case you run into trouble.”

Seylah opened her mouth to protest, until the lift doors opened to reveal two members of her cohort. They scowled when they saw her move to step on, until they saw Kallus just behind her. He cleared his throat a little, and the two cadets moved to the side to allow them ample space in the car as it descended. After that, she begrudgingly accepted his escort, although she frowned the whole way.

“Well, here we are,” she announced as they reached her door.

“Indeed.” Kallus wore a smug smile that was starting to annoy her; she hated that he had been proved right.

“Thank you for the escort,” she sighed, reaching out to key the door open. “Good night.”

“Ah, just a moment, Seylah,” Kallus said, pulling her hand away from the switch. Seylah gave him a curious look, her heart starting to race as she realized he hadn’t let go of her hand yet.

“I, uh...” He cleared his throat, casting his gaze down at the floor for a moment. “I just wanted to say...”

It was Seylah’s turn to smirk, as she never thought she’d see him flustered. Despite her flushing cheeks, she waited patiently for him to make a move.

“I’ve greatly enjoyed our time together this term,” he pressed on.

“Term’s not over yet, Kallus,” she reminded him.

He smiled, taking a step closer, letting go of her hand. “I’ve told you, it’s –”

“Alexsandr, yes, I know,” Seylah murmured. “But that’s a mouthful.”

“You could choose something shorter.”

“Oh, could I?” Seylah batted her eyelashes. “Well, what have others chosen?”

“Nobody else complains,” Kallus told her with a grin.

“Ugh, you Coruscanti and your formality,” Seylah scoffed, feigning disgust. She thought a moment, the held his gaze, a twinkle in her eye. “Sandr, then.”

“Sandr?” He looked contemplative for a moment, before he closed what little distance remained between them. His arm wrapped around her waist, coaxing her up on tiptoe as he kissed her, his other hand cradling the back of her head. It was almost chaste, but fiercely passionate and over almost as quickly as it had started. He gave her space, but still held her close as she blinked rapidly, her mind racing almost as fast as her pulse.

“Say it again,” he murmured.

“Sandr,” she breathed.

“Yes, that will do nicely.” He let go of her, leaving her standing somewhat unbalanced in front of her door as he started back down the corridor with a smirk. “Good night, Seylah.”

Seylah stood there several moments longer, a dumbfounded smile slowly taking over as she reached blindly for the door switch, stumbling into the room. Arina looked up from the table with alarm.

“Seylah, are you all right?” she asked, noticing her friend’s uneven shuffle to the bunks.

“Fine,” Seylah murmured. “Night.”

Still in her uniform, Seylah climbed up into her bunk. A minute later, she was asleep, still smiling as she started to snore softly. Arina simply shrugged, chalking it up to exhaustion finally catching up to her and went back to studying.

For the first time in weeks, Seylah didn’t dream about her parents or sleep in fits and starts. Instead, she woke refreshed, the memory of Kallus’ kiss bringing a fresh smile to her face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HAHA, FINALLY A KISS. I should be working on essays and final projects, but I really wanted to get this chapter done since it's been sitting around for so long (and because Rebels just ended and I needed more Kallus in my life).


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Seylah's and Kallus' relationship deepens, even as they prepare to be separated by his impending graduation.

The day after Kallus first kissed her, Seylah hadn’t been entirely sure of what to do next. She wasn’t used to courtship beyond a few bland compliments before jumping into bed with whatever passably attractive male body had uttered them. But Kallus was different, not just because he was older and more self-assured, but because he treated her differently. He had shown her compassion and interest she never could have expected, certainly not from a senior peer. That alone had taken getting used to, only for her to be thrown for a loop by the intimacy of their kiss in the hallway.

She had fully expected him to press his advantage the way other boys had always done, but when he walked away she was left confused and wanting, a little delirious from the wash of unsatisfied hormones coursing through her body. It had taken her most of the next day to work things out, and when she was finally able to get him alone for a few moments, she questioned him.

“What was all that last night?” she demanded, pulling him off into a side corridor.

“What was what?” Kallus replied, feigning ignorance despite the smirk on his face.

“Oh, don’t pull that with me!” Seylah hissed, the veneer of her Coruscanti accent slipping back into her natural Wild Space vowels. “You know what I’m talking about!”

“The training? Or my escorting you back to your barracks?”

Seylah glowered, annoyed that he was playing coy. “You kissed me!” she snapped, a little louder than she had meant to. Luckily, it seemed no one was around to hear.

“Yes, I did do that, didn’t I?” Kallus said, amused. “I hope I didn’t offend you.”

“Offend?” Seylah scoffed. “The only offense was you didn’t keep on with it.”

“Keep on with it?” It was Kallus’ turn to be confused. Or at least, play at it.

“Yeah, you know…”

Seylah quickly closed the gap between them, pulling him into a kiss. Kallus’ muffled surprised immediately became more pleasant as the tip of her tongue started to probe at his lips, gently teasing them open to make its way further inside. Her fingers played with the hairs on the back of his neck, sending a shiver through him before he softly pushed her away, leaving him flushed and panting as she stared at him, confused.

“Did I do something wrong?” she asked, looking a little hurt.

“Yes – No!” He shook his head. “I just… Thought we should take things slow. For now.”

“Slow? Who ever heard of taking things slow?” Her eyes narrowed suspiciously as she crossed her arms. “Is this some kind of prank you seniors like to pull?”

“I promise you, I’m quite serious.” Kallus sighed, reaching out to brush a lock of hair behind her ear, his hand staying to cradle her cheek. “I think you’re exceptional, Seylah. I truly do. And because of that, I don’t want to rush you.”

Seylah’s defensive posture softened as she thought about what he was saying. She was so used to rushing, to having precious few minutes to enjoy before someone’s ship had to get underway. There was little time for much else, even once she’d come to the Academy. Her short tryst with Luwa had been more of the same; it had never occurred to her that she actually had _time_ now.

“Call it ‘Coruscanti formality’,” Kallus added, which earned a soft laugh from her. “I want to do things properly.”

“ _Properly_ ,” Seylah chuckled to herself. “Now that’s a concept.”

She gave a little sigh, letting her hands rest against his chest. “Okay, Kallus. _Sandr_. Let’s do this properly.”

He smiled wide, arms encircling her to hold her close. She rose up on her tiptoes again to kiss him, until they heard a familiar voice echoing down the main corridor nearby.

“Kallus! Where’d you get off to?” Jovan’s voice rang, growing closer as they quickly straightened their uniforms and made themselves look deep in discussion about flight exercises just in time for his arrival.

“Ah, there you are!” he said brightly as he turned the corner and found them. “Should have known I’d find you with the lovely young cadet.”

Seylah blushed a little as she gave a nod of recognition. “Hello, Jovan.”

“Mind if I borrow him?” Jovan asked with a smile, already tugging at Kallus’ elbow.

“Not at all,” Seylah answered warmly. “We’ll catch up later then, Senior Cadet Kallus?”

“Of course,” Kallus told her with a short nod and a wink as Jovan started to pull him back down the hallway. “Good night, Cadet Eltanin.”

Jovan walked briskly, pulling Kallus along behind him, until they had made it a good distance down the hallway and out of Seylah’s earshot. Then with a grin, Jovan released his friend and turned to him, insatiably curious.

“Well?” he demanded, giving Kallus a slight push when he responded with nothing but a smug smile. “Oh, come _on_ , Kallus, don’t be like that!”

“Like what?” Kallus asked, continuing on at a leisurely pace down the hallway, his hands dug into his pockets.

“Oh, you _dog_ ,” Jovan chuckled, catching up with him. “You did it, didn’t you?”

Kallus just laughed, one hand coming out of his pockets to clap Jovan on the shoulder. “A gentleman doesn’t kiss and tell, Jovan.”

“To hell with being a gentleman,” Jovan scoffed. “You’re an Imperial Cadet!”

They walked a few steps in silence, Kallus barely suppressing a beaming smile that he knew told Jovan all he wanted to know, and likely more. But he also knew his friend would never drop the issue until he’d heard it out loud. Finally, as they reached the lifts, he turned back to his friend.

“I kissed her, and she kissed me,” he said softly, immediately holding up a hand to halt any further questioning on Jovan’s part. “Nothing more. Yet.”

It was Jovan’s turn to clap Kallus on the shoulder, grinning ear to ear. “So, a proper Coruscanti courtship, is it? You must really see something special in her, my friend.”

“Oh, I do, Jovan,” Kallus murmured as the lift arrived. “I do.”

***

The Academy was abuzz as the term neared its end. The Senior Cadets were all trying to contain their nervous excitement as their graduation and commissioning loomed; the others hoped that when the final round of rankings came out, their names were still on the list.

Although Seylah’s ranking had fallen from her top spot, she had been careful to stay close to the top; she had noticed that when she fell below 5%, the harassment she had endured for so many months seemed to vanish. 6% wasn’t necessarily outstandingly remarkable, but it was still close enough to the top exceptional in most eyes without being threateningly so.

Arina had spent the weeks building up to the end of the term increasingly worried, as she obsessively monitored her standings and ignored the messages from her parents. Seylah tried her best to help her, but Arina always resisted, insisting that she had to learn to be self-sufficient. The only times she would accept help was for sparring practice, and even then, she had started choosing Luwa as a partner more often than not.

Seylah had her curiosities about how much time her bunkmates were spending together, but the truth was she was grateful their attention was diverted. It gave her more breathing room and prevented too much questioning on their part of the amount of time she was now spending with Kallus.

It was a new experience for her, thinking of someone in terms beyond an occasional fling, but it didn’t take long before Seylah settled into being comfortable with Kallus in a way that went beyond her other friendships. She had opened up to him about the pains her family had endured during the Clone Wars, and why she was so driven to follow in her uncle’s footsteps. He had confessed to being tired of the expectations set upon him by his family, but also feeling obligated to serve the Empire because it was the right thing to do.

As the end of the term came, Seylah found herself nervous about what would happen. When she had envisioned her time at the Academy, she had never expected that it would involve such closeness with someone, let alone a senior cadet. Despite their difficult start, Kallus had become her rock to lean on; completing the next two years without him seemed impossible.

 “Maybe I should just drop out now,” she sighed as they sat together on the platform outside the hangar, trying to pick out stars in the crowded Coruscant night sky.

“Don’t you dare,” Kallus had admonished softly, his arm wrapped around her shoulders. “You’ve got too much potential to let it go to waste.”

“But what if you get sent to the Outer Rim?” she asked, leaning her head against his shoulder.

He chuckled. “They still have holocomms in the Outer Rim. And I’d get leave every now and then.”

“What if you meet someone else?”

He turned to look at her. “I could never.”

Seylah smiled. “You don’t know. Maybe they could sweep you off your feet.”

Kallus laughed at the thought. “I doubt it.”

Seylah laughed a little with him for a moment, until it faded away as another thought came to her. “What if what you see… I don’t know, it changes you.”

“What do you mean?”

She sat up a little to hold his gaze, her brow furrowed in concern. “You don’t know what it’s like out there. Once you leave the Core, the whispers start. Not everyone appreciates the Empire, or even likes it. There’s terrorists and war lords and criminals, and they can be truly horrible…”

“Then you will be my light in the darkness,” he told her softly, pressing a tender kiss to her lips. “When I am surrounded by the evils of the galaxy, I’ll think of you and remember why I serve.”

“Sandr…” she murmured before kissing him, pressing deeper.

To her pleasant surprise, this time he didn’t resist or insist on breaking the momentum. Instead, he encouraged her, his hands slowly starting to roam to clasps and zippers and buttons, layer after layer slowly falling away. She was grateful that the weather was warmer and calmer than it had been the first time she had stood on the platform; there was no wind now to carry things away or make her shiver as her bare skin was exposed to the night air.

For all the times she had imagined the moment when they would both give in to their deeper desires, Seylah had never considered it like this. Despite the exposed nature of the platform, it was still secluded; this late, the hangar was empty, and the shadows of the building kept them obscured from any passing shuttles or speeders that might chance to look down.

She gasped the first time her bare back touched the cool duracrete, momentarily wishing they’d thought to bring a tarp or a blanket to insulate against it. But the heat between them quickly compensated for the slight chill, and before long, she barely noticed it. In that moment, her world was Kallus; the slight flush in his skin, the feel of his muscles, the sound of his breathing as they moved together.

They still moved slowly, despite the ever-growing need and desire in each of them. Even with the graduation ceremony now only hours away, worry over rushing things seemed even less important. It might be the only chance they had, and neither wanted it to be a momentary blur. As she savored each touch, each move, each breath, Seylah had finally found an appreciation for Kallus’ insistence on taking their time. No matter what happened in the morning, the night’s memory would be forever emblazoned in her mind.

***

By the time she returned to her bunk it was after sunrise; with a disheveled smile and a yawn, she opened the door and stepped inside, her smile growing even wider at the sight that greeted her: uniforms strewn about the room as Arina and Luwa lay fast asleep, tangled up in the sheets on Luwa’s bunk. _Finally_ , she thought with relief as she climbed quietly up into her bunk, not even bothering to shuck off her own wrinkled uniform. She had to wear the more formal version of it for the graduation ceremony anyway, which was already hanging pressed in her locker.

She woke a few hours later to the hushed sounds of her roommates quietly debating whether they’d been spotted when Seylah had returned sometime during the night. Unseen, she smiled, then made a show of rustling in her bunk and waking with a loud yawn and wide stretch. By the time she peeked over the edge, Arina and Luwa were at two different corners of the room, busying themselves with getting ready for the graduation ceremony.

“Finally, you’re awake!” Arina sighed as Seylah climbed down from her bunk. “Hurry up, or you’re going to be late.”

Seylah waved her off with a smile. “Don’t worry, I’ll be fine. You two go on ahead, I’ll catch up.”

Seylah left Arina to fiddle with the details of her uniform as she went to take a shower. They were gone by the time she returned, leaving her able to dress in peace without Arina fussing over her hair or Luwa trying not to laugh at the whole scene. It was an odd mirror of how the year had started; she didn’t need Arina to style her hair anymore or have to put up with Besso’s complaining. Instead she could stand tall in her uniform, her long red hair braided and slicked back into a neat bun, and know she’d done it on her own.

A satisfied smile on her face, she turned sharply on a polished boot heel, and headed toward the parade grounds.

***

The ceremony itself was even drier than the address from the beginning of the year, and Seylah didn’t feel as bad about starting to drift off in the middle of it when she spied some of the older cadets – and even a few instructors – doing the same. By the end of it she was impatient to leave her uncomfortable seat so she could congratulate Kallus, and find out where he’d been posted.

As soon as they were dismissed, Arina had grabbed her hand, knowing exactly where her bunkmate would be heading and not wanting to be left behind. Luwa let them go with a shrug, nodding back in the direction of their bunks to let them know he’d meet them back there. Seylah was grateful he opted to stay behind; the last thing she wanted was a petty argument ruining the day.

The newly commissioned ensigns had all arranged themselves in clumps of varying density in the open expanse just outside the seating area. Seylah and Arina made their way through the crowd until Arina spotted Kallus, the two young women making a beeline for him. Arina called out to him, and he turned to greet them with a smile.

“Mother, father, you remember Arina Vosov,” Kallus said, introducing Arina before turning with a smile to Seylah. “And this is her fellow cadet, Seylah Eltanin.”

Seylah offered a hand with a polite smile. Kallus’ father shook it enthusiastically, while his mother looked her up and down disdainfully before turning to chat up Arina.

“Don’t mind her,” the elder Kallus grumbled. “She’d judge the Emperor himself for not wearing enough fancy things. She doesn’t get out of bed unless she’s dressed for a state dinner.”

The two Kallus men chuckled knowingly. Seylah offered a soft, relieved laugh of her own. She hadn’t imagined that she’d be meeting Kallus’ parents, and in fact had very deliberately tried to avoid the scenario.

“So, Alexsandr tells me you’re quite the prodigious young pilot,” Kallus’ father said.

“I wouldn’t say prodigious, sir,” Seylah stammered, blushing a little. “I was just lucky to learn early on from my uncle.”

“He was an Admiral, and Seylah’s inspiration for coming to the Academy,” Kallus explained.

“Well, I’m sure he’s proud of you.” Kallus’ father clapped Seylah on the shoulder, before he caught sight of another familiar face in the crowd. “Excuse me, children, I’ve got to say hello to an old friend…”

Seylah and Kallus watched him go for a moment, before turning back to each other.

“Any word on where you’ve been assigned?” Seylah asked breathlessly.

“Not yet, I’m afraid,” Kallus told her. “Some of the other have found out, but it seems the assignments are trickling in.”

“Oh.” She tried not to look crestfallen, but he could hear it in her voice.

“Don’t worry, I’ve got a good feeling,” he assured her, giving her a little nudge with his arm.

She smiled, giving him a soft nudge back, but desperately wishing they could do more. It was much harder to be physically intimate in public, especially with his parents in relatively close proximity. But she hoped they’d at least have one last chance to be alone before they departed the Academy.

“Ah, my favorite pupil,” a voice announced over her shoulder. Seylah turned in surprise as Kallus greeted its owner with a wide smile and a handshake.

“Colonel Yularen,” he said brightly. “It’s been an honor to learn from you.”

Yularen chuckled. “I assure you, Cadet – ah, _Ensign_ Kallus, that the honor has been mine.” He looked beside Kallus to Seylah. “Your sister?”

“No, sir.” It was Kallus’ turn to laugh. “This is Cadet Seylah Eltanin, my flight partner.”

“It’s an honor, sir,” Seylah said, extending a hand. Yularen shook it, considering her carefully.

“You wouldn’t happen to be related to Petro Eltanin?” Yularen asked.

“Yes, sir, he was my uncle,” Seylah answered, feeling her cheeks flush a little.

“Ah yes, I see it now,” he replied, releasing her hand with a small smile. “Taught you a few things, did he?”

“Yes, sir. How did you know?”

“It’s a hard sell, getting into Captain Fib’s Advanced Flight class so young,” Yularen noted. “But Petro’s maneuvers would do the trick.”

“Cadet Eltanin is just finishing her first year here, sir,” Kallus added. “I believe you’d do well to recruit her to your classes as she continues.”

“Is that so?” Yularen considered them both until his comm unit chirped, drawing his attention away. He excused himself with a small nod. “I look forward to having you in my classroom, cadet. Congratulations again, Kallus.”

“What does he teach?” Seylah whispered as they watched Yularen vanish into the crowd.

“Interrogation and strategy,” Kallus told her. “He resigned from the Navy to take an assignment with the Imperial Security Bureau.”

“The ISB?” Seylah’s eyes went wide. “That’s important work.”

“Some of the most critical,” Kallus agreed, before dropping his voice. “Some say he and Governor Tarkin are the only ones holding the Empire together.”

Seylah was surprised. She had never thought that Kallus would be the type to speak ill of the Emperor, although she found herself agreeing with her assessment. Even the Emperor’s most staunch supporters would be hard pressed to name any specific work he had done of late to preserve the Empire he had founded. The most meaningful work was done by people like Yularen and Tarkin and, she hoped, herself, one day.

She finally managed to say her goodbyes to Kallus and returned to her room with a heavy heart. She knew it wouldn’t be the last time she saw him, although it could be months or years before she was able to see him in person again. She supposed holocalls and messages would have to do until then, but it still didn’t make her any less despondent about the situation.

She entered the room to see Luwa and Arina sitting on the edge of his bed, staring in silent shock at something on a datapad. Arina looked ready to cry, which made Seylah’s heart drop even more; someone had to be going home for good.

“What’s going on?” she asked breathlessly as she approached them. Luwa simply handed her the datapad to read the message on it herself. Seylah steeled herself for his dismissal message.

> _Cadet Harkin, L. Based on scores and performance you are hereby transferred to Stormtrooper Corps._

Seylah’s eyes went wide with surprise, although there was some relief in her voie. At least he wasn’t being sent home. “They want you for the Trooper Corps?”

“Yeah, Officer training,” Luwa said quietly, taking back the datapad. “I report after Empire Day.”

“You have to come to my family’s party, then,” Arina said quickly, holding fast to Luwa’s arm. Her gaze flitted up to Seylah. “Both of you. You can stay in our penthouse, I know my parents will love you.”

“I, uh...” Seylah stared, but Arina stood up, a surprising fierceness in her eyes.

“I won’t take no for an answer!” she insisted. “I won’t let you mope around here, all by yourself while the whole planet – the whole _galaxy_ celebrates!”

Seylah exchanged a look with Luwa, who offered a sympathetic shrug. They both knew it was pointless to try to argue with Arina or refuse outright. She was the caretaker of the group, and there was no way she’d let personal modesty get in the way of making sure her friends weren’t thinking about the worse parts of their lives when they could be celebrating and enjoying themselves.

“Fine,” Seylah acquiesced. Arina squealed and clapped as she broke into a bright smile.

“Oh, this is going to be so much fun! We’ll dress you up, and you can stay in the guest suites and mother and father will absolutely _adore_ you…”

Seylah offered a sheepish smile as Arina babbled on about all the delights to be expected and Luwa started to chuckle at how excited she was. Truth be told, Seylah wasn't quite as enthused to spend a week with stuffy rich people watching her every move, especially after meeting Kallus’ mother. She’d had enough judgment from those kinds of people to last her a lifetime.

But then again, a celebration would be nice. A few parties, a few drinks to forget about the fact that she was orphaned, left adrift with only the Empire to ground her. The more Arina talked about it, the more excited Seylah became. Even Luwa looked ready to jump into the festivities as they made plans for arrivals. Arina was leaving first thing in the morning; Seylah offered to stay and help Luwa pack everything up before they joined her at the Vosov’s penthouse.

With the plans in place, Seylah lay down in her bunk, exhausted. She checked her datapad as she yawned, worn out from the day’s events, and noticed a message from Kallus.

> _To My Light,_
> 
> _Afraid we won’t have the chance for a more fitting goodbye, but you’ll always be the reason I serve._
> 
> _\- Sandr_

She sighed sadly as she tucked the datapad away. _So it begins_ , she thought mournfully as she curled up around her pillow. _Messages and holocalls, from here on out_.

That night, she dreamed she was back on Lysatra, standing in the backyard of the house she barely remembered. It was covered in flowers, her bare feet sinking into them as their fragrance surrounded her in the setting sunlight. Her parents stood before her, beaming proudly as she felt a pair of arms encircle her waist, lips kissing the top of her head. She turned to find Kallus smiling, his face suddenly cast into shadow as the sun set behind the distant mountains. His smile began to fade in the darkness, his face growing grim as he took step after step back from her. She reached out, tried to chase after him, but it was too late.

He had vanished into the shadows.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So it's been a million years since I updated this story... but hey, 2 new chapters!


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Arina hosts Seylah and Luwa at her family's home, trying to boost their spirits in the week leading up to Empire Day.

Young though the Empire was, the Vosov family had already affirmed its place as host of some of the more influential parties outside the Federal District leading up to Empire Day. Holoimages adorned the walls of their spacious penthouse, displaying Arina’s father at varying stages of his life working alongside those who held power – including a young Sheev Palpatine, in his earlier role as Naboo’s representative in the Republic Senate. Seylah had to make a conscious effort not to let her mouth hang open at the sight as she and Luwa arrived in the midst of caterers and decorators bustling about in their final preparations.

“You’re late!” shouted one of the decorators from across the room, who from the way he marched seemed to be in charge of the commotion. With a frown on his face, the potbellied man picked up a nearby vase holding a plant frond almost as big as Seylah and thrust it into her arms.

“This was supposed to be out on the western terrace ten minutes ago!” he barked, before she could get a word of explanation out.

“Excuse me, but we’re not –” Luwa started, until the decorator caught sight of his uniform and bowed in apology.

“So sorry, Cadet. Mistress Vosov is expecting you upstairs.” He caught Seylah trying to set the vase down out of the corner of his eye and turned on her, his face turning red.

“Western terrace!” he barked again as she struggled to spit out fronds so she could explain that she wasn’t part of his staff.

“Zygess, what did I tell you about treating my guests with respect?” Arina’s voice rang out sharp and clear from the top of the nearby staircase.

Seylah was still struggling with the plant but could tell from the audible gasp Luwa let out that Arina was likely dressed in something elegant. She finally set it down just as Arina reached the bottom of the stairs, the sleeves of her sky-blue gown billowing out behind her like sails. It was then that Zygess finally saw Seylah’s uniform as well and sheepishly offered another bow of apology.

“So sorry, mistress Vosov,” he mumbled, before picking up the vase and grumbling to himself under his breath as he walked away.

“You look beautiful!” Seylah exclaimed, before she nudged Luwa in the ribs to get him to close his mouth. “Doesn’t she, Luwa?”

“Huh? Oh, uh…yeah.” Luwa slowly started to come back to his senses. “Beautiful.”

“Do you like it?” Arina asked, giving a little twirl that revealed the low-cut back. “I’m not quite sure about it.”

“Well, it’s making Luwa sweat, so I’d say that’s a good sign,” Seylah chuckled, ignoring the dirty look Luwa shot her.

Arina giggled and grabbed each of them by the hand, pulling them toward the staircase.

“I’m so happy you’re here!” she told them, leading the way up to the second level of the penthouse. “Mother and Father said you can stay here all week, if you want.”

She looked back at Luwa, batting her eyelashes. Seylah tried not to laugh. They reached the top of the stairs and followed Arina down a hallway that had several doors. Ever the gracious host, Arina pointed out their rooms before leading them to the door at the end of the hall. It opened up into a lushly decorated room, and Seylah stepped inside slowly, taking in the rich fabrics, the carved wood accents, the beautiful colors.

“This is _your_ room?” Seylah breathed.

“Mm-hmm,” Arina hummed, heading for the closet along one wall. She started rummaging through it, pulling out a variety of dresses and gowns, holding them up in view of the nearby full-length mirror.

“You could fit my parents’ living room in here,” Luwa said, taking a look around before he caught sight of Arina, naked from the waist down as she stepped out of the gown she’d been wearing. He choked a little, his cheeks flushing.

“What?” Arina asked innocently, although Seylah didn’t miss the devilish twinkle in her eyes. “You’ve seen me change a hundred times.”

“Yeah, but… you know, not where your parents could barge in at any moment –”

As if on cue, the door slid open to reveal Arina’s parents, interrupting Luwa and making him turn an even brighter shade of red. They were dressed in a similarly elegant fashion, albeit in a more subdued color palette than their daughter, who had just finished pulling on a more formfitting gown in a deep shade of purple.

“You must be Mr. and Mrs. Vosov,” Seylah said quickly, stepping up to introduce herself with a handshake. “I’m Seylah, one of Arina’s bunkmates.”

“Yes, yes, Arina’s told us all about you!” Mrs. Vosov said cheerfully. “We’re so delighted you could be here for the party, it’s certain to be one to remember!”

“You must be Luwa, then,” Mr. Vosov boomed, clapping a hand on Luwa’s shoulder.

“Uh, yes, sir,” Luwa answered meekly.

“Tell me, young man,” Mr. Vosov muttered under his breath, curling his arm around Luwa’s shoulders to draw him away. “Are your intentions honorable with my daughter?”

Seylah could have sworn she saw Luwa’s spirit jump out of his skin and suppressed a snicker as she watched the two men out of the corner of her eye.

“I, uh…” Luwa spluttered, trying to think of what to say until Mr. Vosov let out a belly laugh.

“I’m just teasing you, boy!” Mr. Vosov laughed, guiding him out of the room. “Now, my wife is going to insist I give you something flashier to wear than that cadet uniform, but the more important question is: how do you feel about Tevraki whiskey…?”

They disappeared down the hallway, Mrs. Vosov chasing after them, hastily instructing Arina to lend Seylah something to wear for the party. Alone, the two young women sank down to sit on the plush, carpeted floor.

“So, you and Luwa?” Seylah asked, raising and eyebrow.

“Oh,” Arina said softly, her cheeks turning pink. “Well… yes.”

“About time,” Seylah sniffed, teasing her friend, and Arina gasped in indignation.

“You _knew_?” Arina demanded.

Seylah almost fell over laughing, which just made Arina’s brow furrow more. “Of course I did! You need a better sabacc face, Arina.”

Arina pouted, turning away to look in the mirror again. She played at styling her hair and touching up her make up before she finally turned back to Seylah in a huff.

“And what about you and Kallus?”

Seylah’s eyebrows raised. “What about me and Kallus?”

“You’re honestly going to tell me there’s nothing there?”

Seylah’s face darkened a little, her mind drifting to the thought of where he might be at that very moment. She imagined him on a transport headed for some duty assignment on a planet she’d never even heard of and wondered if he’d even think of her. _Of course he will_ , she scolded herself. _He promised_.

She looked up as Arina started waving a wand in front of her face, drawing her attention back.

“You really have something with him, don’t you?” Arina asked softly, scooting closer to lean against her friend.

“I didn’t know I could feel that way about anyone,” Seylah confided with a sigh. “And now he’s off and graduated, bound for who knows where…”

Suddenly, Arina jumped to her feet, holding out her hands to pull Seylah up after her.

“We’re going to get you all dressed up for the party tonight,” Arina said, quickly starting to rummage through the closet. “You can wear one of my dresses, and we’ll do your hair up and everything! And you’ll forget all about silly old Kallus.”

Seylah huffed a soft laugh in gratitude, letting Arina take control. Truth be told, she didn’t know the first thing about fancy parties beyond what she’d seen in holos and was happy to let her friend lead the way. It was a nice distraction, having Arina buzz about her, trying out different dresses until they found just the right one. A maid came in to help style her hair, but Arina insisted on doing Seylah’s makeup herself, giving her a smoldering look with emerald accents to match the dress they’d settled on.

When all was said and done, Arina spun Seylah around with a giddy smile to look in the mirror. Seylah gasped at the sight, hardly recognizing herself. The deep emerald of her dress enhanced the darker shade of her skin and the bright red of her hair while the makeup minimized her freckles. For the first time, she looked in the mirror and saw what could be: no longer the scrappy young cadet from Wild Space, but a posh and practiced member of Core World society.

“What do you think?” Arina asked breathlessly.

“I didn’t know I could look so nice,” Seylah answered, giving a little spin before she came back around to face her friend. “Thank you.”

Arina squealed and hugged Seylah tight, before taking her by the hand and dragging her out to the hallway. “Luwa’s gonna _die_ when he sees us!”

***

A few hours later the party was in full swing, and as awkward as Seylah felt all dressed up, she was grateful to be out of the halls of the Academy for a spell. On her third glass of whatever bubbling liquor the caterers kept pushing into her hand, she excused herself from her conversation with a pair of employees who worked for Arina’s father and made her way outside to the west-facing balcony. Resting her arms on the railing, she blew out a deep breath as she stared into the sunset, letting the chatter of the party fade away. She let her eyes drift close, listening for Arina’s melodic giggle and Luwa’s huskier huff of a laugh, picturing them draped over one another as they chatted away.

“Mind if I join you?”

Seylah whipped around at the voice, her eyes wide in surprise as she saw Kallus standing there, his uniform crisp and almost glowing in the fading light. He smiled at the sight of her, taking in the rich emerald fabric Arina had insisted she wear.

“Not at all,” Seylah stammered, flushing a little as he approached.

“You look beautiful,” he murmured, his hand brushing at her elbow as he settled against the railing beside her.

“It’s all Arina,” she told him, both chuckling in understanding. “Until today, my cadet uniform was the fanciest thing I’d ever worn.”

Kallus smiled, brushing some unseen shadow of dirt from his tunic. “Until today, that cadet uniform was the plainest thing I’d ever worn.”

“Well, it suits you,” Seylah teased, gently poking a manicured finger into his shoulder. Kallus’ smile deepened.

“You too,” he said, running his knuckle softly down the slanting neckline that left her shoulder bare.

Seylah scoffed, diverting her gaze to the metropolitan canyon below. “I don’t know, I think I’d be happier in an old pair of coveralls.”

She felt his hand at her chin, gently guiding her eyes back to his. It sent her mind racing back to the night they’d shared on the platform outside the hangar, her stomach aflutter at the memory of how warm his hands had been, the taste of stale, sweetened caf lingering on his lips.

“You’d look beautiful in anything. Or nothing,” he murmured, and she felt her cheeks burning as he leaned in to kiss her until there was the shuffle of stumbling steps stepping outside.

“Well if it isn’t Ensign Kallus!” Luwa crowed, one of his arms draped across Arina’s slight shoulders. The blonde gave Seylah an apologetic look.

“Cadet Harkin, wasn’t it,” Kallus said coolly. “The gravball player.”

“That’s me!” Luwa unwrapped his arm from Arina and took another couple of steps toward Kallus and Seylah, examining them as closely as his inebriated mind could manage, before he turned back to Arina with a grin.

“See, I _told_ you she liked him!” he whispered, somehow louder than if he had shouted it. Arina sighed and waved him back over.

“I’m so sorry, my father dragged him off for a ‘chat’, and he came back like this,” she explained, the gems she’d glued to her brow accenting the furrow now in place. Pushing Luwa back inside, she gave them one last look – this time of encouragement – and vanished into the throng.

Seylah let out a heavy sigh, while Kallus just chuckled to himself.

“Your friend seems to be quite the lightweight,” he noted, and Seylah smiled.

“You’d think with all that muscle he’d be the last man standing,” she said. “But even Arina could outdrink him.”

That set the two of them into a bout of laughter that eased the tension of their interruption, although didn’t help restore the moment that they’d lost. They stood in awkward silence, each trying not to seem too obvious in their desires.

“So, it’s the ISB for you?” Seylah finally asked. “That means you’ll be here on Coruscant a little longer, right?”

“Another year,” Kallus replied with a small nod. “You’d think they could have taught us everything we needed to know at the Academy, but…”

“Specialization takes time,” Seylah said. “But it builds strength, and that’s what’s most important.”

Kallus made a low noise of agreement, and the silence returned. In the distance, the sun finally dipped below the artificial horizon created by a nearby building, and darkness quickly began to descend.

“I’m staying here tonight,” Seylah said, a tender urgency catching Kallus’ attention. “I’ve got my own room and everything.” She swallowed, unsure of why she was so nervous. “Do you want to see it?”

There was a pause, and for a moment Seylah began to worry that she’d gone too far. But then Kallus grinned, and her panic melted away.

“I’d love to.”

She flashed him a grin, seized his hand, and led him through the party to the staircase that led to the second floor. They tried to look as casual as they could, hoping not to draw too much attention to themselves, although she was certain Arina had caught sight of them, likely with a smile of approval.

They reached it unchallenged, stepping into a room that was bigger than anything Seylah had ever stayed in, but was still modest by the Vosov family’s description. An ornately carved bed stood in the center of the room, its four posts draped in a dark gauzy fabric that seemed to twinkle with stars. Seylah’s uniform had been neatly folded atop a nearby dresser, and a nightgown draped over a luxuriously upholstered armchair.

She went directly for curtains, throwing them open to let in the sunset’s warm, golden glow. A moment later, Kallus’ arms had circled tight around her waist, drawing her in close. Her stomach suddenly tightened as she remembered her dream, dread fleeting through her for the briefest instant. She spun to face him, her hand wrapping around the back of his neck to draw him in for a deep kiss as he bent her back until they collapsed onto the bed. She let out a squeak as his weight landed on her, then a giggle, then finally a sigh as he recaptured her lips in another kiss.

“Will you visit me?” she asked breathlessly between kisses.

“Every chance I have,” he told her, his fingers seeking out the clasps and fasteners on her dress.

“Promise?” she asked, starting to wiggle her way out of the gown, the fabric collecting around her waist.

“I swear it,” Kallus said, sealing it with another kiss as he awkwardly shrugged out of his uniform.

The bed was much more luxurious than the hangar platform had been, although even that had been more space than Seylah was typically used to. The sheets were made from a silky material that was always cool to the touch, highlighting just how much heat there was between them.

A shiver ran down her spine as he kissed at her shoulder, following the line of her collar bone to the hollow at the base of her throat. She ran her fingers through his hair, her thumb grazing along the edge of his ear, which earned her a low moan from him against her skin. Inspired, she coaxed him up to nibble delicately at his earlobe, which elicited a louder moan, followed by both of them giggling as they froze in anticipation of being discovered.

When no such moment came, they quickly made up for lost time, kicking away the last of their clothing that stood in the way. Seylah let out something between a sigh and a moan as Kallus’ fingers moved from her face to her breasts, and then slowly, slowly worked their way lower. It seemed to be a reprise of their first night together until Seylah laid her hand over his for a moment, a devilish gleam in her eye.

“We’ve got _all_ night this time,” she murmured.

It was all the invitation Kallus needed. In an instant he was kneeling at the side of the bed, hauling her by the hips to the mattress’ edge. Seylah propped herself up on her elbows, confused by the sudden commotion until she watched him descend between her legs with a wicked grin, all the strength going out of her as she felt his tongue go to work. Her fingers tangled themselves in his hair as she moaned and writhed under his touch, each stroke like nothing she’d ever experienced before. When finally her body seized with a gasp, her grasp on him tightening, he guided her softly down with small kisses, rising victorious, a lock of hair hanging over his forehead.

“That… was exquisite,” Seylah panted as he moved to lay beside her, reaching up to toy with his errant lock, curling it around her finger.

“Well, I’m glad you approve,” he murmured, leaning in to kiss her.

“You were holding out on me,” she replied, nipping at his lower lip. “That wasn’t very nice.”

“And what are you going to do about it?” he challenged with a grin, letting her push him away onto his back.

In one swift motion she was astride him, both of them letting out satisfied sighs as she sank down. She began to rock her hips slowly, gradually building up speed until she could see that he was on the verge of climaxing. Then she’d stop, grinning as he groaned in disappointment until she started again. When she finally let him come, Kallus let out a feral growl, his heart feeling like it might beat itself out of his chest as everything around him throbbed in time with his racing pulse.

“You are _evil_ ,” he chuckled as she collapsed on top of him, running a hand through her hair.

“ _That_ was for kissing me and walking away,” she sighed, resting her cheek against his shoulder.

“Remind me to never do that again.”

“What, kiss me?” Seylah murmured, pressing a kiss along his jaw.

“No.” There was something more reflective in Kallus’ voice that gave her pause. “Walk away.”

It felt as if the air had shifted, the temperature cooling to something much more temperate than the intense heat that had been surrounding them.

“That’s not really something we have control of,” Seylah said softly, rolling slowly to lay alongside him.

“Perhaps,” Kallus mused, his arm settling around her to keep her close. “Perhaps not.”

Seylah sighed, breathing deep as she nestled in against him. “I had a dream the other night,” she confessed softly. “We were on Lysatra, with my parents. I had never felt happier. But when I turned to see you, the darkness swallowed you and I was left alone.”

“It’s just a silly dream,” Kallus shushed, kissing the top of her head.

“I know,” she murmured, starting to drift off. “But it felt so real...”

When she woke, it was late the next morning. She gave a lazy yawn, stretching slowly as she tried not wake Kallus next to her, only to realize he was already up and nearly dressed. He smiled when he saw her stir, sitting next to her on the bed, his tunic half-fastened.

“Good morning,” he said softly, brushing a few mussed sections of hair away from her face.

“I don’t think I’ve ever slept that well,” Seylah said, propping herself up on her elbow. “Is this what it’s like being rich?”

“Good night’s sleep, overbearing expectations, minimal choice in what you do with your life…” Kallus kept his tone light as he ticked off the list on his fingers, but she knew there was more to it than just a joke.

“I take it back,” she laughed. “Throw me back on a freighter any day.”

Kallus opened his mouth to reply, when a knock at the door made them both freeze. Seylah suddenly became very aware of the fact that she was stark naked, save for the bedsheet she now clutched very close.

“Seylah, are you up yet?” Arina’s muffled voice came through the door.

There was a moment’s pause before it slid open, revealing the young blonde wrapped up in a luxurious dressing gown. Her eyes went wide when she saw Kallus sitting on the bed, her hands fluttering immediately to her mouth in embarrassment.

“Oh!” she gasped, turning away as Kallus quickly finished fastening his tunic. “I hope I’m not interrupting anything!”

“No, not at all,” he said, standing. “I just, uh…”

“Arina, shut up and get in here already,” Seylah hissed, jumping off the bed, the sheet still held tightly to her neck as she frantically beckoned her friend in.

With the door shut behind her, Arina finally peeked at the scene before her with a giggle, which earned her a sharp but playful smack on the arm from Seylah.

“Don’t worry, mother and father left hours ago to prepare for the next party,” she said, rubbing at the sore spot on her arm. “They’ll never know Kallus stayed the night. And morning.”

Seylah smacked Arina again, sticking her tongue out. “Come on, admit it, you set this all up, didn’t you? Trying to console me when you knew full well that he’d be here –”

“Are you complaining?” Arina asked, waggling her eyebrows. “Besides, I only thought it would be fair, what with me and Luwa…”

“Honestly, I’m surprised you’re even out of bed,” Seylah smirked. It was Arina’s turn to deliver a smack, which landed sharply on Seylah’s bare arm, though both of them couldn’t help but giggle.

“Ladies, please,” Kallus spoke up, stepping between them. “Maybe we should get some breakfast?”

Seylah suddenly realized it had been hours since she’d had a proper meal, and the thought of breakfast made her stomach rumble. All the fancy hors d’oeuvres served at the party the night before had been delicious, but hardly what she’d call enough to be a meal.

“Luwa’s already beat you to it,” Arina giggled. “Zasha can always make more if he’s eaten it all.”

With a grin, she turned and headed for the door. “Don’t take _too_ long,” she added with a wink before stepping back out into the hallway.

Alone again, Seylah’s eyes glanced over to the nightgown and robe that had been left for her, then to her neatly folded uniform, and finally back to Kallus, who had a devilish look in his eye.

“What?” she asked, a smirk betraying that she already had an idea of what he was going to say.

“Nothing,” he deflected lightly. “I was just wondering how long ‘ _too_ long’ would be…”

He was already undoing his tunic by the time Seylah kicked away the sheet and beckoned him back to bed, giggling as he wrapped her up in his arms again.


End file.
